In the years Student Rights has been logging on-campus events featuring speakers with a history of extreme or intolerant views, February has stood out as one of the busiest months. This appears to be in part due to the popularity of ‘Discover Islam Weeks’ during this month; the sheer number of events providing such speakers […]
Continue readingStudent Rights at the University of Newcastle
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of speaking at the University of Newcastle at an event organised by the Atheist and Secular Humanists Society. It was a great opportunity to discuss extremism and free speech on campus, and to showcase our work. Since starting at Student Rights, I’ve travelled across the country, speaking to students […]
Continue readingOxford anti-Semitism allegations highlight wider problem
UPDATE 21/03/2016: Brahma Mohanty, the OULC Disabilities Officer has resigned his position, accusing the society of forcing members “to subscribe to a radical ideology of division and isolation”. Mohanty took on roles with the university club to promote “access and diversity”, but now believes this ethos is not shared by other OULC members. He cited […]
Continue readingPreventing Prevent at Goldsmiths
On Monday, Goldsmiths College hosted the latest event in the National Union of Student’s (NUS) ‘Students Not Suspects’ tour, which aims to undermine the government’s counter-radicalisation strategy, Prevent. Once again, NUS Black Student’s Officer Malia Bouattia used the event to defend CAGE and shared a platform with the group’s Director of Outreach Moazzam Begg, despite […]
Continue readingNUS officer speaks at MEMO event
Here at Student Rights, we have frequently criticised National Union of Students (NUS) officials when they have campaigned alongside groups like CAGE and MEND. This trend continued last Saturday, when NUS Black Students’ Officer Malia Bouattia spoke at an event organised by Middle East Monitor (MEMO) titled ‘Targeting Dissent: Israel’s Crackdown on Arab Citizens’. MEMO […]
Continue readingNational Action on campus in Nottingham
Throughout 2014, Student Rights highlighted attempts by the neo-Nazi organisation, National Action, to target university campuses. While often only taking the form of poster drops, this activism was a worrying phenomenon, one exacerbated by the fact a member of the group was later convicted of attempted murder. While National Action appears to have had little […]
Continue readingA step in the right direction at Kingston University
Earlier this week, Kingston University’s Department of Journalism hosted a panel discussion on the government’s Prevent Strategy. Last term, we saw a series of events where speakers from extreme groups went unchallenged as they condemned Prevent, spreading misleading and divisive information in the process. Monday’s event saw a rare and welcome attempt to provide an […]
Continue readingStudent Rights at Exeter Debating Society
Last Friday, Student Rights National Organiser Gray Sergeant spoke at the University of Exeter Debating Society on the motion ‘This House Supports No Platform Policies at University’. Here he outlines his opinion on the topic. On being invited to attend this debate, I spoke for the motion despite my increasing frustration with overzealous student unions […]
Continue readingGuest Post: ‘Safe Spaces’, but not for Jews, Israelis or Zionists
Following the events at King’s College London (KCL) on Tuesday, former KCL student and Student Rights blogger Emma Webb gives her take on the issue. All views are her own and do not necessarily represent those of Student Rights… The ‘Rhodes Saga’ has brought ‘safe spaces’ out from the shadows of student politics into the […]
Continue readingProtesters shut down Israel Society event at King’s College London (Update: Statements released)
UPDATE 20/01/2016: Following last night’s events, KCL, KCL Student Union (KCLSU), and KCL Action Palestine have all released statements. KCL has announced that Ian Creagh, Head of Administration and College Secretary, has been commissioned to “conduct an urgent investigation…to establish what happened and what action might need to be taken as a consequence”. The Principal […]
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