A free speech row has erupted at Durham University after one of its oldest societies was banned from attending a freshers’ fair.
At the fusion fair organized by the university’s student union, hundreds of new students gather on campus at the stalls set up by various associations.
However, this year the university’s 182-year-old debating club, whose previous guests included former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May and the late Dame Maggie Smith. was barred from participating due to accusations of racism.
The Telegraph reports that the Durham Students’ Union claimed that the Durham Union Society had failed to demonstrate that it had improved its standards following allegations of racism.
It also said the debating society, which is a registered charity, was independent of the university and had no official affiliation with the institution.
Durham Union Society has been banned from freshers’ fair by student union after failing to show improvement following allegations of racism
Toby Young (pictured), head of the Union for Freedom of Speech, has criticized Durham’s student union for the decision and sent a letter to the university’s vice-chancellor.
The freedom of speech group has apologized to the student union, accusing it of “censorious behavior”.
In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, Professor Karen O’Brien, the Free Speech Union claimed that the Durham Union Society had been barred from the event because “it is not left-wing enough”.
In a letter seen by MailOnline, the group’s founder, Toby Young, argued that the university has a duty to protect free speech for all students, staff and visitors.
“In the current state of affairs, it is now the responsibility of the university to ensure that the situation is rectified,” he wrote in a letter seen by the publication.
Mr Young suggested the controversy would not have arisen if the government had not suspended the introduction of new free-speech legislation to combat campus culture.
Education Minister Bridget Phillipson announced that she would end the implementation of the said Act – Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) – in July.
The new law would have required universities to actively encourage free speech on campus and create a new appeals process for individuals affected by the ban.
Mr Young told MailOnline: “Durham Students’ Union claims this is not a free speech issue because it has not banned the debating society because of the views of its officers or the views of invited speakers. But that is misleading.
“It has banned the debating society because, in the eyes of the student union, it has not adopted a sufficiently solid policy of equality, diversity and inclusion. But such a policy is not apolitical, especially the extreme ones that the student union wanted the debating society to adopt.
On the contrary, they are rooted in the political ideology of the extreme left. In practice, the student union’s refusal to give the discussion society to the forum is due to the fact that it has refused to adopt its awakened agenda.
“That makes it a freedom of speech issue, and it would not have been possible for the student union not to establish a discussion society if the government had not torpedoed the freedom of speech law, which aims to stop the culture in universities.
In February 2023, Samantha Smith, 20, said she was called the N-word at a late-night meeting of Durham Union, the university’s oldest and largest society.
At the time, Miss Smith, a conservative commentator of white and Afro-Hispanic heritage, argued that the punishment was insufficient
Education Minister Bridget Phillipson (pictured) said the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which would have required universities to actively promote free speech on campus, has been halted.
The Ministry of Education declined to comment.
It comes after the Durham Union Society, which was founded in 1842 along with the Cambridge and Oxford Unions, was accused of racism.
In February 2023, forensic scientist Samantha Smith, 20, claimed she was called the N-word at a late-night meeting of the Durham Union.
He formally appealed the incident, and the university investigation upheld his appeal.
Another student, whom the Mail is not naming, was banned from contacting him, asked to write an apology and ordered to do 100 hours of community service.
But Ms. Smith, a conservative commentator of white and Afro-Hispanic heritage, says the punishment is insufficient.
She said in February 2023 that her alleged abuser showed no remorse and should have been banned from campus.
He vehemently denied making the claim, but the investigation found otherwise based on the evidence.
Miss Smith, from Shropshire, said: “I believe in the process and I believe in the university but I feel let down, humiliated, sidelined and angry.
“I’m afraid that if this has happened in a case as clear as mine and this is how they handled it, what will it be for other students?
The Durham Union Society and the Durham Student’s Union had entered into an agreement, according to which the future partnership will be based on improving equality, diversity and social inclusion.
The picture shows an aerial view of the city of Durham
– I’m also afraid that he will be around me for the next two years and I could run into him any day.
“Durham is a very small place. He’s a very scary guy and he scares me.
Following the alleged incident, the Durham Union Society and the Durham Student’s Union had entered into an agreement.
This understanding meant that the future partnership between the two would be dependent on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) evolving conversational society.
In a statement, Durham University said: “Durham University has called on Durham Students’ Union on a number of occasions to reach an understanding with Durham Union Society. It has done so in the interests of new students to be aware of the opportunities open to them.
“As a university, whilst respecting Durham Students’ Union’s independence in managing the Freshers’ Fair, we support the Durham Union Society to inform incoming students of their offer.
“We have already told the Durham Union Society that we are working with them to provide a space to promote the union to new students and the society has acknowledged and welcomed this offer.
“This is an understanding that the Durham Union Society is working as we believe it is working to provide the diverse and inclusive community that we strive for across the university. This is very important.
“The University is calling on Durham Students’ Union and Durham Union Society to resolve their differences so that our students can be informed of the opportunities available to them.”
The Durham Student Union commented: “Durham SU strongly believes in freedom of expression and has never and would never take any action to disadvantage its student body based on legitimate beliefs, opinions, practices or ideas.
“There are no examples to the contrary. We work closely with Durham University every day to ensure that students discover and share new ideas and experiences.
“We support more than 300 student groups with amazing cultural, philosophical, political and religious diversity and who often disagree with each other and with the student union. We love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Durham SU does not disagree with the legitimate beliefs, opinions, policies or ideas of DUS, as DUS (despite its name) is not a student association of Durham University or Durham SU.
“DUS trustees have never alleged any such disagreement. FSU has not observed any such disagreement.
“The truth is that DUS voluntarily promised our community in 2023 to respond to shocking stories of racism in its operations — reported by students, endorsed by DUS, and widely circulated in the national press — by changing internal procedures after open consultation with the community.
“As a gesture of goodwill, we welcomed it to Freshers Fair in September 2023 in recognition of the importance of this promise to be better.
“But in September 2024 it informed us that it had not kept its promise and for this reason alone Durham SU did not accept DUS’s request to advertise at our Freshers Fair.
“This has openly been the terms of our contract with DUS for the past twelve months.”