Intimidation has led the Durham Union Society to call off the debate between BNP northern double-act, Andrew Brons MEP and Cllr Chris Beverley, and the Conservatives’ unlikely pairing of Edward Leigh MP and Kulveer Ranger.
After extensive consultations with the Police on the issue of public safety, university authorities were cowered by the threat of clashes outside the university venue. The National Union of Students promised bus loads of members would be sent to Durham to close down the event, according to the DUS press release.
This is a bad day for the British value of freedom of expression. And a set-back in the fight against extremism:-
The university should show more back-bone. Carolyn Fowler, the University’s Registrar said: “The University statutes clearly state that any threat to public safety supersedes the importance of freedom of expression”. If even our universities make health and safety considerations paramount, who on earth is there left to fight for freedom of expression?
The police should do whatever’s necessary to uphold the University’s right to hold such a debate, not advising against such meetings. It defies belief that the police are handing the NUS a veto on debate in this country because of the threat of a few bus loads of students.
The NUS’s “No Platform” policy is a repressive, counter-productive throw-back to the arrogant student politics of the 1960s. Instead of bussing in students for a punch-up, the NUS should be teaching students how to win the argument against extremism.
No one likes the idea of life-long Nazi-sympathisers like Brons and young thugs like Beverley using a venue like Durham University to espouse their hate-filled, neo-fascist, racist ideology. Particularly before an election. But if we do not have the confidence to overcome these bullies on a challenged platform then we can be sure to beat them at the ballot box.
James Bethell
