Diversity Dean Speaks Out After Being Placed On Leave, Defends Berating Conservative Judge
Daily CallerNov 26, 2022
The Facts
UK PM Rishi Sunak has reportedly appointed Cambridge philosophy professor Arif Ahmed as the country's free speech czar to combat "cancel culture" at universities. This is the first position of its kind in the nation.
Ahmed — whose new role is being established under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which is circulating through parliament — argued last year that a university "should be an environment where you can say pretty much anything you like and other people can say whatever they like as well."
The Spin
Left narrative
Free speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences, which is what this new "speech czar" will try to impose. The national student unions already promote and protect free speech, but the UK's right-wing government wants to go further and strip professors of their autonomy in the classroom. This is reactionary and regressive.
Right narrative
The "woke mob" has overtaken the UK and it's time for the government to end this era of anti-free speech tyranny. Students shouldn't be suspended or demoted simply for their opinions, and these professors, backed by aggressive student mobs, won't change their ways until the prudent government oversight forces them into promoting the foundation of higher education. This is about the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.
