University in trouble for failing to protect academic freedom

Several organisations have collaborated to write a letter to the Office for Students (OfS) asking it to investigate Bristol University for its treatment of Professor Steven Greer.

The case of Professor Greer

Professor Greer was formerly Professor of Human Rights at Bristol Law School. He has an outstanding international reputation and is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and of the Royal Society of Arts. For seventeen years he taught a highly respected and popular module entitled: Human Rights in Law, Politics and Society (HRLPS).

In October 2020, Bristol University Islamic Society (BRISOC) formally complained that the ‘Islam, China and the Far East module of HKRPS was ‘Islamophobic’. Professor Greer was not informed of the existence of the complaint until 11th December and it was not until 15th February 2021 that he was officially informed of the full allegations against him. In January 2021 BRISOC had launched an online social media campaign with a petition calling for Professor Greer to apologise to all Muslim students and for the offending material to be removed from the module. The petition, which remains online as of today, has garnered over 4,000 signatures and also demands a formal apology from the university.

A false and malicious campaign

BRISOC’s complaint and social media campaign spread false and malicious allegations against Professor Greer in an attempt to silence and discredit him. Professor Greer and his wife were forced to temporarily flee their home on the advice of police because of fears for his life. The University failed to protect Professor Greer from the BRISOC campaign or to defend his right to criticise the human rights record of Islamic countries. The stress generated by this damaging campaign and the failure of the University to support Professor Greer let to him being signed off work by a doctor for some months.

Exoneration, but cancellation

In October 2021, the University put out a statement formally exonerating Professor Greer. The statement nevertheless said that “we recognise BRISOC’s concerns and the importance of airing differing views constructively.” The fact is that BRISOC was very far from constructive in the way it went about its false and malicious campaign. The University failed to stand up to this or to criticise it in any way.

Furthermore, the University then proceeded to cancel the ‘Islam, China and the Far East’ module on the HRLPS course precisely as BRISOC had demanded. The net result is censorship of academic criticism of Islam by the University with widespread repercussions for academic freedom both at Bristol and throughout the country.

OfS took action against the University of Sussex

In March this year, the OfS fined the University of Sussex £585,000 for its treatment of Professor Kathleen Stock. Professor Stock was hounded and threatened by a student campaign over her trans-critical views. The OfS investigation found that the University of Sussex had failed to uphold freedom of speech and academic freedom and that this had resulted in a chilling effect on academics at the University.

The open letter to the OfS suggests that a similar investigation into the University of Bristol is warranted over the way it treated Professor Greer. It argues: “We can see no good reason, therefore, for the OfS not to treat both the Sussex and Bristol cases alike.”

The letter to the OfS is available online here. Representatives of several organisations have signed the letter, including; Academics for Academic Freedom, Alumni for Free Speech, Christian Concern, Committee for Academic Freedom, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Don’t Divide Us, Free Speech Union, Global Hindu Federation, Network of Sikh Organisations, Oxford Islamic Congregation, Oxford Institute for British Islam, and Project Resist.

A chilling effect

Professor Greer’s case is an example of a mainstream institution capitulating to an Islamic mob and agreeing to self-censor its criticism of Islam. His case has contributed to a chilling effect on academia when it comes to discussing Islam. It provides yet another example of how British institutions are applying a de facto prohibition of Islamic blasphemy to themselves rather than stand up to militant Islamic mobs.

I very much hope that the OfS does decide to open up an investigation into the University of Bristol over its treatment of Professor Greer. Professor Greer’s case has many parallels with that of Professor Stock. The OfS was quite right to investigate and fine the University of Sussex over its treatment of her. The University of Bristol should face a similar fine.

In the end it is not fines that will solve the problem, but a change of culture. We need universities to stand up for free speech and academic freedom when it comes to both Islam and transgenderism. Without free speech,  no democracy can properly function.