The University of Strathclyde Students’
Association (USSA) is now actively censoring pro-life groups at the university.
This censorship by certain members of the USSA and its support from student
leaders within the USSA is infantilising, cowardly, anti-intellectual and
profoundly unhelpful.
The USSA’s continued censorship not only attacks the freedom of speech of minority groups but also undermines an essential aspect of the university itself: free and open enquiry. Sign this petition asking for an end to censorship at the university. We must stop funding the university and discourage potential student applicants until they do.
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The Equality and Diversity Committee (a group within the USSA) successfully
passed a “No Platform to Anti-Choice” policy which effectively bars any pro-life
group (now or in future) from affiliating with the USSA.
This means that the pro-life group (Strathclyde Life Action) cannot use any union buildings for any event they might want to organise and severely restricts the group’s freedom of speech. Other groups are not subject to such authoritarian censorship.
Sign this petition to the USSA and senior members of the university demanding an end to campus censorship.
http://www.citizengo.org/en/ed/39419-student-union-continues-censor-minority-views-cannot-go-unopposed
This document and its supporters are standing proudly in favour of censorship. They are saying that this topic is no longer up for discussion; they are telling any people who hold minority views to shut up; they are saying that such views should not be heard.
1. The USSA is completely failing to foster the only kind of “diversity and inclusion” which matters at university i.e. intellectual “diversity and inclusion” and instead opting for intellectual conformity and exclusion.
2. The USSA is being extremely authoritarian in deciding which ideas should and should not be heard. Today, they decide that those who hold anti-abortion views cannot be heard. Tomorrow, what else will they decide cannot be heard?
Sign this petition supporting the idea of the university as resting on free speech and rejecting censorship.
http://www.citizengo.org/en/ed/39419-student-union-continues-censor-minority-views-cannot-go-unopposed
This is not a debate about abortion. This is a debate about free speech and censorship. It is a debate between those who believe in the ideal of free and open enquiry as a founding tenant of the university, and those who reject free speech and open enquiry in favour of censorship and seek to undermine the very idea of the university.
The USSA clearly needs reminding about the importance of free speech to university life. Until they end this censorship and recognise the importance of free speech at university once more we must
Greg Jackson and the entire Team at CitizenGO
http://www.citizengo.org/en/ed/39419-student-union-continues-censor-minority-views-cannot-go-unopposed
PS Many universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Newcastle and Liverpool, have “pro-life” groups. Some of these even have “pro-choice” policies as well, but they are not so intolerant and authoritarian as to prevent opposing views from existing at their university.
Why then is the USSA so intolerant and illiberal in this respect? Sign this petition asking for an end to censorship at university.
This means that the pro-life group (Strathclyde Life Action) cannot use any union buildings for any event they might want to organise and severely restricts the group’s freedom of speech. Other groups are not subject to such authoritarian censorship.
Sign this petition to the USSA and senior members of the university demanding an end to campus censorship.
http://www.citizengo.org/en/ed/39419-student-union-continues-censor-minority-views-cannot-go-unopposed
This document and its supporters are standing proudly in favour of censorship. They are saying that this topic is no longer up for discussion; they are telling any people who hold minority views to shut up; they are saying that such views should not be heard.
1. The USSA is completely failing to foster the only kind of “diversity and inclusion” which matters at university i.e. intellectual “diversity and inclusion” and instead opting for intellectual conformity and exclusion.
2. The USSA is being extremely authoritarian in deciding which ideas should and should not be heard. Today, they decide that those who hold anti-abortion views cannot be heard. Tomorrow, what else will they decide cannot be heard?
Sign this petition supporting the idea of the university as resting on free speech and rejecting censorship.
http://www.citizengo.org/en/ed/39419-student-union-continues-censor-minority-views-cannot-go-unopposed
This is not a debate about abortion. This is a debate about free speech and censorship. It is a debate between those who believe in the ideal of free and open enquiry as a founding tenant of the university, and those who reject free speech and open enquiry in favour of censorship and seek to undermine the very idea of the university.
The USSA clearly needs reminding about the importance of free speech to university life. Until they end this censorship and recognise the importance of free speech at university once more we must
- encourage any alumni of the university that we know to cease funding the university and
- discourage any potential students from enrolling in the university.
Greg Jackson and the entire Team at CitizenGO
http://www.citizengo.org/en/ed/39419-student-union-continues-censor-minority-views-cannot-go-unopposed
PS Many universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Newcastle and Liverpool, have “pro-life” groups. Some of these even have “pro-choice” policies as well, but they are not so intolerant and authoritarian as to prevent opposing views from existing at their university.
Why then is the USSA so intolerant and illiberal in this respect? Sign this petition asking for an end to censorship at university.
