Spence asserted that the UCL’s commitment to free speech was “deep.”
Former University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence suggested last Monday that he would allow Holocaust deniers to speak on campus.
During an appearance on Times Radio, Spence, now the President and Provost of University College London (UCL), said that he would allow “anybody to speak who was invited by an academic or by a student, so long as the speech was lawful and there weren’t going to be public order problems that we couldn’t control”.
When asked whether he would allow a Holocaust denier to speak at UCL, given that it is not illegal to do so, Spence responded that their commitment to free speech was “deep,” and that “the University would obviously have a responsibility to make sure that its Jewish and other students and staff were looked after” if such an event took place.
Current USyd Vice-Chancellor Stephen Garton told Honi his position was that “all our community should feel safe and free to discuss ideas in a civilised manner,” and that the University does not tolerate racist or anti-Semitic language or behaviour on campus.
“If someone from our community invited a holocaust denier to our campus so that they could share their views, we would consider the legality of the proposed speech, closely scrutinise the academic rationale for that decision and take action as necessary in accordance with our Charter and other relevant policies,” Garton said.
Read the article by Deaundre Espejo and Claire Ollivain in Honi Soit.