Oxford Vice-Chancellor warns students against shutting down debate

Students must learn to engage with debate on difficult issues rather than trying to shut it down, Oxford University’s Vice-Chancellor has said.

Reflecting on an attempt by trans activists to silence the gender-critical views of Professor Kathleen Stock OBE at Oxford, Professor Irene Tracey repeated her January pledge to defend free speech.

In May, activists sought to derail an Oxford Union event after the University’s LGBTQ+ Society branded Prof Stock “transphobic” for upholding the reality of biological sex.

‘Dark place’

Speaking to The Oxford Student newspaper, Prof Tracey backed the need for trans students “to feel safe”, but added: “we have to defend free speech”.

She continued: “We’re all going to feel differently about that across a range of subjects beyond Kathleen Stock, because that’s just the way the world is.

“Part of what we’ve got to learn going forward is how we can learn to engage in debate and discussion around difficult issues you feel very differently about or may view as offensive”.

The Vice Chancellor added, “You also need to learn to sometimes change your mind on what you feel about things” without fear of being “isolated or persecuted”, otherwise, she warned, you end up in a “very, very dark place”.

I am actively thinking about what it is that we should be putting in place in order to help our students, our early career researchers, our staff, learn about the importance of free speech and how we should learn to deliver, encourage, and protect it, so that we can have disagreement and discussion around key current issues. Professor Irene Tracey

Free speech tsar

Earlier this month, the Government’s newly appointed free speech tsar, Professor Arif Ahmed, pledged to “defend free speech within the law for all views and approaches”.

The Cambridge University philosophy professor said disputes are settled by “discussion, not censorship or violence” and that he will use “all means necessary” to address the “urgent threats to free speech” on campuses.

Prof Ahmed will also investigate any infringements of the duties placed on universities to promote freedom of speech. This could include no-platforming speakers, forcing staff and students to attend ‘ideological’ bias training, and disciplining academics for their social media activity.