The University of Cambridge has effectively prevented its student body from denying controversial speakers a platform to express their opinions.
Academics at the prestigious institution voted to reject changes to its own free-speech charter, which would have demanded that opinions expressed be “respectful”.
In a ballot, the university's governing body, Regent House, reaffirmed its commitment to free speech by a majority of 86.9 per cent.
Under the proposed changes, staff, students and visiting speakers would have to be "respectful" of the views and "identities" of others.
But university dons have opted to support "tolerance" of differing views amid fears the change would curtail freedom of expression on campus.
Students will now find it much more difficult to boycott or “no platform” speakers over their controversial views.
Speakers can only be barred from delivering lectures if they are likely to use “unlawful speech” or if their talks would result in legal problems.
Guests who have been denied a platform at Cambridge include psychologist Jordan Peterson, biologist Richard Dawkins and historian David Starkey.
The proposed changes were widely criticised by staff and former students including Stephen Fry, who described them as “muddled”.
Dr Arif Ahmed, a senior lecturer at Gonville and Caius College, said the proposals were "dangerously vague and open-ended", and could be used to shut down debate.
"I think this process shows that the number of people in the university who are illiberal are a loud but small minority," Dr Ahmed told The Times.
“The vast majority are fundamentally committed to free speech.”
The university's vice chancellor, Stephen Toope, welcomed the vote as “an emphatic reaffirmation of free speech in our university”.
"The university will always be a place where anyone can express new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions, and where those views can be robustly challenged," Mr Toope said.
Cambridge has been subject to controversy over free speech, identity politics and so-called cancel culture.
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- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
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Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
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