Letter-To-Stephen-Toope.Pdf
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The Free Speech Union 85 Great Portland St. London W1W 7LT FreeSpeechUnion.org Professor Stephen J Toope University of Cambridge The Old Schools Trinity Lane Cambridge CB2 T! "th J#ly 2$2$ By email to% &CO'En)[email protected]'ac'#+ ,ear Professor Toope- . am writing to yo# in my capacity as 0eneral Secretary of the 1ree Speech Union in the hope of obtaining some clari2cation abo#t /hat yo# and the University of Cambridge regard as the limits that should be placed on academic free speech' The reason for my letter is that the University appears to be applying di3erent standards /hen it comes to /hat behaviour or language is acceptable depending on the race or ethnicity of the academic in )uestion. On 22nd June- ,r Priyamvada 0opal, a 1ello/ of Churchill College- a reader in the (nglish 1aculty and an employee of the University- said on Twitter that 45hite Lives ,on6t 7atter8' Shortly after/ards- she li+ed a t/eet saying- 4the /hites''' are a disease that needs to be cleansed from the earth8' 7any people on Twitter and elsewhere too+ the vie/ that these t/eets /ere racist and that- as a consequence- ,r 0opal ought to lose her fello/ship of Churchill and her position at Cambridge' 9o/ever- the University : )uite rightly- in my vie/ : came to her defence' On 2;th June it t/eeted% . /as pleased to see the University rob#stly defending the right of one of its academics to express her lawful opinions /hich others might 2nd disagreeable- not least because its colleges and faculties have not al/ays done so' THE FREE SPEECH UNION LIMITED (COMPANY Nº 12324336) REGISTERED OFFICE: 85 GT. PORTLAND ST. LONDON !"! #LT 1or instance- last year the ,ivinity 1aculty rescinded its o3er of a &isiting 1ello/ship to ,r Jordan Peterson after a photograph came to light of ,r Peterson standing next to a fan /earing a 4proud .slamophobe8 T=shirt' >t the time- a University spo+esman said abo#t that decision: $C%&'()*+,- i. %/ i/012.)3, e/3)(4/&,/5 a/* 6, e78,ct a11 o2( s5%9 a/* 3).)54(. 54 u8:41* o2( p()/0)81,.. ;,(, i. n4 p1%0, h,(, <4( a/=4/, w:4 0%//4t. ?o# also issued a statement on 2@th 7arch 2$2$ in /hich yo# defended the ,ivinity 1aculty6s decision to rescind ,r Peterson6s &isiting 1ello/ship% I h%3, b,,/ %.>,* <4( &y 3),6.. I 6421* .)&81y (,<,( 54 % .5%5,&,/5 I )..2,* %1&4.5 ,7%051y "? =,%(. %+4 %. @)0,AC:%/0,114( of 5:, U/)3,(.)5y of B()5).: C412&')%: A. % 2/)3,(.)5= 04&&2/)5= 6, 81%0, % 8%(%&42/5 3%12, 4/ 5:, <(,, %/* 1%6<21 ,78(,..)4/ 4< )*,%. %/* 3),684)/5.. 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The implication of that statement is that Cambridge6s commitment to protecting academic free speech is not simply conditional on the behaviour or language of the academic in )uestion being 4la/ful”' .n addition, it must not ma+e any members of the University community 4feel personally attac+ed8 4for their very identity8' ?o# initially describe the University6s commitment to freedom of expression as 4paramount8 and say 4anything that detracts from the free expression of ideas is just not acceptable8' B#t yo# then go on to )ualify that commitment- saying that free speech must be 4balanced8 against other considerations- /hich yo# describe with the catch=all term 4respect8' > similar arg#ment /as made by 7r 7atthe/ Bulloc+- then the 7aster of St Edmund6s College- to A#stify the termination of ,r !oah Carl’s fello/ship last year' B#t /hat are those considerationsB 5hat di3erentiates 4rob#st debate8 from disrespectful behaviour or lang#ageB .n the statement above- yo# start o#t by appealing to 4la/fulness8 as the standard that ideas and viewpoints have to meet in order to be protected- b#t then add some further conditions' >s far as . am a/are- neither yo# nor the University have ever clearly set o#t all those conditions- b#t yo# broached this )uestion again in your address to the University on st October 2$ C% E3,/ %. 6, *).02.. 5:, 0:%/+)/+ .:%8, 4< 5:, <252(, 2/)3,(.)5= 42( 04&&)5&,/5 54 <2/*%&,/5%1 8()/0)81,. i. 2/6%3,()/+. 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B25 1,5 &, ', 01,%(: 6, 0%//45 %1146 5:, )&8,(%5)3, 4< <(,, .8,,0: 54 ',04&, % 043,( <4( :%5,<21 4( 2/1%6<21 ',:%3)42( o( l%/+2%+,. .n that statement- yo# imply that there are t/o conditions a Cambridge academic6s behaviour or lang#age m#st meet if it is to be on the right side of the line% it must not be 4unlawful” and it m#st not be 4hateful”' B#t yo# have never spelt o#t /hat yo# mean by 4hateful”- /hich is unfortunate beca#se there is considerable disagreement abo#t /hat language or behaviour falls under that heading' 1or instance- one of the 1ree Speech Union6s members- Posie Par+er- started a petition on Change'org earlier this year calling for the Oxford (nglish ,ictionary not to change its definition of 4/oman8 from 4adult female human being8' Change'org removed the petition- telling 7s Par+er that the definition of 4/oman8 she /as trying to preserve constit#ted 4hate speech8' 7any people also acc#sed the a#thor J D Eo/ling of #sing 4hateful” language /hen she objected to the s#bstit#tion of 4people /ho menstruate8 for the /ord 4/omen8' 5ould describing a /oman as an 4adult female human being8 be an example of 4hateful” behaviour or lang#age that /o#ld not be protected by the University? . ass#me not- b#t the ris+ of failing to spell o#t /hat yo# mean by 4hateful” is that this lac+ of clarity will be exploited by those on one side of a debate to silence those on the other side' 1or instance- a Cambridge professor /ho is also a gender=critical feminist could be no=platformed at a Cambridge event on the grounds that her vie/s abo#t /hether trans=/omen should be able to participate in /omen-only sports are 4hateful” and not deserving of the University6s protection. .n the hope of understanding /hat the limits are on academic free speech at Cambridge . loo+ed on the University6s /ebsite' . note that it has set o#t /hat it believes are its 4P#blic ()uality ,#ties8 under the ()uality >ct 2$ $ in a section on its /ebsite labelled 4P#blic ()uality ,#ties and Protected Characteristics8% ;, EH2%1)5= A05 I?"? 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