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Jun 14 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
"There are occasions when universities have misapplied the Equality Act and wrongly shut down lawful #freespeech. We saw a case last week where Essex Uni had to amend its policies following welcome pressure from the Free Speech Union."

@michelledonelan in Parliament on Monday.
The Minister for Higher and Further Education was introducing amendments to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill that would change the definition of harassment in the Equality Act 2010 and under the Bill.
You can read more about the FSU's victory in its long-running legal dispute with Essex University regarding its understanding of the Equality Act and subsequent free speech obligations in our monthly newsletter for May.

freespeechunion.org/victory-in-leg…
The Essex case was also in the news last week, with the @timeshighered stating that it "spotlights the FSU's influence and prospect of its mounting bigger legal actions against universities once the Higher Ed (Freedom of Speech) Bill becomes law."

timeshighereducation.com/news/free-spee…

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More from @SpeechUnion

The Free Speech Union Profile picture
May 16
Today felt like a good day in the fight for #freespeech and #freedomofexpression.

Police forces are “not the thought police” said the new Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke.

“Thoughts, unless they become actions, aren’t an offence”, he added.

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
As @Tom_Slater_ pointed out for the @spectator, however, the fact that Cooke felt he had to make that intervention reminds us just how bad things have become in English #policing in recent years.

spectator.co.uk/article/is-thi…
Cooke is clearly keen to push back – or at least be seen to be pushing back – against the rise of thought policing in our country...

express.co.uk/news/uk/140669…
Read 12 tweets
The Free Speech Union Profile picture
Apr 26
"The case that sums up the police’s warped priorities".

The FSU's recent casework for one of our members, Kevin Mills, gets a mention in @Tom_Slater_'s excellent piece for the @spectator on non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). 👇👇👇

spectator.co.uk/article/the-ca…
Two years ago, Kevin Mills was handed a NCHI by the police after he refused to work with a customer who he feared wouldn't pay the bill. The FSU intervened and Kent Police have now deleted his record. The @Telegraph had the story 👇👇👇
According to College of Policing guidelines drawn up in 2014, NCHIs were any non-criminal action that was perceived to be motivated by hatred.

college.police.uk
Read 7 tweets
The Free Speech Union Profile picture
Nov 17, 2021
We welcome the Higher Education Bill, which will go some way to address the free speech crisis in England's universities. However, there are four ways in which it could be even better:

freespeechunion.org/wp-content/upl…
1️⃣ The Bill does not protect academics if they comment on a topic outside their “field of expertise”.
2️⃣ The Bill does not enable ‘cancelled’ academics to seek redress through the Employment Tribunal.
Read 5 tweets
The Free Speech Union Profile picture
Nov 1, 2021
In the last month we've...

🖊️ Written to @trussliz on behalf of employees of gov't agencies who've been punished or silenced for objecting to identity politics in the workplace

🏫 Alerted @educationgovuk to politically partisan teaching in 15 schools telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10/3…
🎓 Challenged @AstonUniversity over a bizarre list of words students have been told not to use (including "British", "native", "mankind") thetimes.co.uk/article/562c0d…

📣 Appeared at @instofideas #BattleFest with five cancel culture survivors who fought back!
👩‍🎓 Asked @univofstandrews to stop mandatory "training" in which students must admit their "personal guilt [for]... unconscious bias" freespeechunion.org/letter-to-st-a…

✍️ Written to @SussexUni on behalf of @Docstockk freespeechunion.org/letter-to-prof…
Read 6 tweets
The Free Speech Union Profile picture
Oct 5, 2021
In the past month we've...
🚆 Crowdfunded £22,000 for train-conductor Jeremy Sleath, sacked after 17 years for a Facebook post
🗳️ Given evidence to MPs on the need for the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
📕 Helped @FrDavidPalmer take up his post at Nottingham
🚨 Had the Charity Commission uphold our complaint and impose an official warning against a charity that named the Batley teacher
🏛️ Advised an academic concerned about the mono-culture of their department who was facing an investigation (now dropped)
🎓 Given information and advice to student members about ideological "tests" they've been made to sit
🙌 Won 75% of the vote at a student debate on cancel culture
💷 Got a financial settlement for a member sacked for a social media post
Read 4 tweets
The Free Speech Union Profile picture
Oct 1, 2021
A charity which publicly named the Batley Grammar School teacher - putting him at serious risk - has been formally rebuked by the Charity Commission for “inflaming tensions” and endangering his safety, in response to our complaint to the Commission. google.co.uk/amp/s/www.tele…
The Purpose of Life charity named the teacher in an open letter calling for him to be “permanently removed” after he included a cartoon of Mohammed in an RE class. The teacher and his family were forced into hiding, and still haven’t returned.
In response to our complaint the Commission has found that the charity committed a breach of trust, misconduct and/or mismanagement. The charity has also been warned for partisan political activity and told it may face further action.
Read 4 tweets

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