Hate Speech And University Campuses

EDM number 780 in 2009-10, proposed by John Mann on 02/02/2010.
Categorised under the topics of Higher education and Religious discrimination.

That this House notes the report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism, its section on Antisemitism in Higher Education and its five recommendations; welcomes the establishment of the Higher Education sub-group of the Inter-departmental working group on Antisemitism; further welcomes improved reporting of incidents through the Community Security Trust and Union of Jewish Students; recognises the continued increase in attacks linked to hostilities in the Middle East, the related incidents that have taken place in universities and that 2009 will see the highest number of reported antisemitic incidents since records began in 1984; notes with concern recent reports on the radicalisation and racial incitement caused by speakers on campus; is concerned that little progress has been made on the question of hate speech since the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism; believes that more can and should be done by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, higher education institutions and the sector as a whole on this matter, applauds the decisions that have been taken to cancel events likely to breach the peace, radicalise students or incite hatred; calls for more progress, with greater urgency in the creation of a wide ranging policy to help vice-chancellors and Student Union representatives to deal effectively with speaker invitations and hate speech; and calls for universities to establish good practice guides based on the speaker request processes that exist.

This motion has been signed by a total of 67 MPs.