Right-wing academics forced to hide their views
Think tank calls for universities to be given a legal duty to protect freedom of speech
PRO-BREXIT and Right-wing professors face discrimination and are selfcensoring, a think tank has warned, amid fears that academic freedom is under threat.
The Policy Exchange think tank has released a report claiming that higher education institutions and the Government must do much more to ensure all lawful speech is protected on university campuses.
The paper, entitled “Academic Freedom in the UK”, suggests there is a “structural discriminatory effect” against the minority of academics at British universities who identify as being on the Right.
Researchers warned: “Hostile or just uncomfortable attitudes signal to those subject to such discrimination that they should conceal their views and narrow their research questions to conform to prevailing norms, if they wish to progress and enjoy a positive workplace experience.”
A Yougov poll of 820 current and former academics found more than one in seven said there was a hostile climate towards people with their political beliefs in their department – but the figure was higher among those who identified as Right-leaning, or among those who voted to leave the EU.
Just over half said they would feel comfortable sitting with a colleague who was a Leave supporter. More than a third said they would feel comfortable sitting with a colleague who opposed admitting trans women to women’s refuges.
But more than four in five said they believed academics who were pro-remain would feel comfortable expressing their views to colleagues.
The report suggests that Right-leaning academics are more likely to choose to “self-censor”. Some pro-leave social sciences and humanities academics said they had refrained from publishing or airing views in research and teaching for “fear of consequences” to their careers, according to the paper.
It warned: “The challenge today is that a serious threat to academic freedom may now, in addition, arise from within universities.”
In a foreword to the report, Ruth Smeeth, a former Labour MP and chief executive of Index on Censorship, said: “It does the country no good if our educators, our academics, our scholars and most importantly our students feel that they can’t speak or engage without fear of retribution.”
The report calls on the Government to make it explicit in law that universities have a direct duty to protect academic freedom and freedom of speech. It adds that a “director for academic freedom” should be created as part of the Office for Students, to investigate claims that freedom of speech had been violated and to promote tolerance.
‘It is deeply concerning the extent to which students and academics are silenced and discriminated against’
Michelle Donelan, universities minister, said: “University leaders must do much more to champion freedom of speech, and this Government is committed to bringing forward measures to strengthen free speech and academic freedom, potentially including legislation. It is deeply concerning the extent to which students and academics with mainstream views are being silenced and discriminated against.”
But Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, dis- missed the findings. She said: “The idea that academic freedom is under threat is a myth. The main concern our members express is not with a think-tankinspired bogeyman, but with the Government’s wish to police what can and cannot be taught at university.”
The OFS said it was planning to issue guidance to universities over academic freedom and free speech.