Censorship Versus Freedom of Speech: Universities as
              breeding grounds for extremists (by Kaley Kennedy)

On a September 15 speech at the annual conference of Universities UK (UUK), Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary in the United Kingdom, said "Freedom of speech or expression is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals enjoy. And higher education is a bastion of those values. However, freedom of speech does not mean tolerance of unacceptable behaviour." The speech went on to direct university administrations to look out for extremist groups congregating on campus and trying to recruit for terrorist groups.

Kelly's speech comes just ten days before the Social Affairs Unit was scheduled to release a report on "terrorist" organizations taking refuge in British Universities. The report, written by Professor Anthony Glees and Chris Pope of Brunel University, names 24 universities as having extremist groups on campus. While most of the groups are described as Islamic extremist groups, the report also includes radical animal rights activists and factions of the controversial right-wing British National Party. The report further states that universities are "under attack" by terrorist and extremist recruiters and university officials must work harder to expel these groups from their institutions.

A dossier prepared by Whitehall officials for Tony Blair presses a similar sentiment regarding extremists groups. The dossier explains, "Students and young professionals from better-off backgrounds have also become involved in extremist politics and even terrorism." The implication is that more educated British citizens are becoming active in terrorism and are becoming better at drawing in new recruits, expanding the network of terrorists.

While many university administrators are worried about having to police free speech, the National Union of Students has already taken steps to remove extremist groups from campuses. It banned al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir groups from its unions after Tony Blair banned these groups in response to the July terrorist attacks in London.

While the recent focus has been on the upsurgance of extremists in British Universities, since 9/11 a number of universities have had to explore the division between freedom of expression and rabid activity. Concordia University in Montreal, Canada has publicly faced this issue since November 2001 when its student union was accused of being too left-wing and was accused of alienating Jewish students through excessive "anti-Israel" activity. The university administration stepped in and asked the Quebec government to investigate the actions of the Concordia Student Union to determine if they had violated the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

The internal conflict gained world-wide attention in September 2002 when a group of 200 Concordia students violently protested a planned event at which former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was to speak. Police used pepper spray to subdue the crowd and Netanyahu's speech was cancelled. The event continues to be an issue in the ongoing conflict between Concordia's pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups.

In November 2004, B'nai Brith Canada issued a human rights complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission after Concordia refused to let another former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, speak. B'nai Brith Canada Executive Vice-President Frank Dimant claimed that the administration allowed extremist groups to set the university's agenda: "One measure of real progress would be for Concordia to re-invite Benjamin Netanyahu to speak at the original 2002 venue. That for us will be a real indicator that the University is intent on addressing its core problem of having allowed extremist groups to rule its campus agenda." While the campus has maintained a relatively low profile in the past year, there continues to be many questions about freedom of expression and propagation of hate.

While the situation in Britain and in Montreal have been heavily publicized, the reality is that all universities face the issue of preserving freedom of speech without compromising the safety of students. Thirty-five years ago, students were protesting the Vietnam War. Fifteen years ago students were protesting the Gulf War. Three years ago students were protesting the War in Iraq. All the while, people have been protesting Israel and Palestine, as well as fighting for so many important issues, including animal rights, equal rights for women, immigration and refugee issues, reproductive rights, and more.

In the four years since the "War on Terror" began, citizens of the western world have faced many tough questions regarding censorship and freedom of expression. Actions taken by many governments continue to question their belief in the rights to free speech, free press, and free assembly. In the face of this new post-9/11 world, society has to ask itself whether it is willing to sacrifice this integral part of our social fabric. Are we willing to accept the censorship that comes with policing free speech? At what point is the line between the moderate and the extreme going to be drawn?

While the government should work to remove those who pose a threat to the safety of its citizens, censorship will not achieve any desirable end. Society will never be able to make a concrete distinction between the acceptable and the radical. In silencing one voice, all voices risk being silenced.

Sources

Arnold, Janice. "Leftists make bid for return at Concordia." The Canadian Jewish News. 22 Nov. 2001. 26 Sep. 2005. <http://www.cjnews.com/pastissues/01/nov22-01/front2.asp>.

"B'nai Brith Canada launches human rights complaint against Concordia." B'nai Brith Canada. 5 Nov. 2004. 26 Nov. 2005. <http://www.bnaibrith.ca/prdisplay.php?id=799>.

"Canada protests stop Netanyahu speech." BBC News. 10 Sep. 2002. 26 Sep. 2005. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2248555.stm>.

Halpin, Tony. "Universities told to spy on student extremists." Times Online. 16 Sep. 2005. 26 Sep. 2005. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1782865,00.html>.

Smithers, Rebecca and Matthew Taylor. "Extremist groups active inside UK universities, report claims." The Guardian. 16 Sep. 2005. 26 Sep. 2005. <>.

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