Response Statement to Open Letter from Protest Groups
16 May 2024
A message from Patrick Hackett on behalf of the Senior Leadership Team
Our Students’ Union Executive Officers have shared with the Senior Leadership Team an open letter from the people protesting on campus. As ever, we work closely with our elected student representatives and are happy to share our response with our wider student and staff community.
The first thing we want to reiterate firmly is that the violence and loss of life that has affected innocent people in Israel and Gaza is truly heart-breaking, including those affected in the education sector. We are aware of and share the deep distress and concern that this terrible situation continues to cause across our community. We recognise and respect that a multiplicity of views exist about the causes and potential solutions.
Since 7 October when asked, we have responded, considerately, transparently and consistently, to explain our university’s position. We understand that some will passionately disagree, but we felt it important to articulate the principles behind our position, reiterating our mechanisms of debate and discussion with students through our Students’ Union, and our ongoing approach to managing protest.
Obligations under our public sector duty
We have an obligation under our public sector duty to foster good relationships within our community of students and staff. Marginalising any group of students or staff by the organisation formally adopting a position on a matter outside our core functions that they do not agree with, is not in keeping with the essence of these obligations. Furthermore, as a charity, we are restricted in our ability to take a political stance on issues.
The University’s position and the centrality of academic freedom and freedom of speech
Almost the single most important foundational value of a university is that of academic freedom. It sits at the heart of everything we do. It is vital in driving forward our research and innovation, and for helping our students to learn to think critically, and to engage constructively with different perspectives. Indeed, academic freedom is the legal right established by the 1988 Education Reform Act and is embedded in our regulations and endorsed and supported by The University and College Union.
We provide a home and act as a sponsor of a diversity of views, and we embrace and encourage this because we know it is essential to intellectual inquiry and in furtherance of our core mission.
Accepting of views that may be diametrically opposed as long as not illegal or disrespectful of others
We accept that the views some students or colleagues may have, and the things they choose to learn about or research, might be upsetting, offensive and in opposition to the views of other students and colleagues. However, as long as they don’t cross over into illegality or are disrespectful of others, we protect the right for those views to be expressed and activities to be pursued.
To explain our approach to promoting free speech, jointly with our Students’ Union, we recently held an open meeting where staff and students could ask questions about free speech issues.
Impact of stepping out of a neutral role
As soon as the University steps out of its neutral role and takes a position of its own as an organisation on any particular world event, it steps away from this core value.
It has the effect of no longer remaining a neutral home for expression of a diversity of views and it effectively marginalises or worse, silences those who may not share those views.
Student disciplinary action
We have not taken, and will not take, disciplinary action against any of our students for participating in peaceful protest which does not breach our student disciplinary regulations. We do, however, reserve the right to take action where there is clear evidence that students have acted in breach of the student disciplinary regulations. We will continue to recognise and embrace the rights of freedom of speech and expression exercised within the law.
Issues regarding our research relationships
Assessing issues through an ethical lens, beyond the internationally or nationally agreed frameworks and standard set by law, strays into violating academic freedom of colleagues on a subjective basis.
In relation to the issues raised regarding alleged alliances and investments, the University does not have any involvement with the Israeli defence sector and we issued a communication to our community on 2 November 2023 to provide clarity on this matter.
More generally, the University’s approach to investments is guided by our Policy for Responsible Investment which, importantly, includes consideration of Environment, Social and Governance issues.
In relation to alliances and research collaborations, we comply with applicable national and international statutory and regulatory requirements (for example, export controls requirements) and agreed frameworks for ethical standards for research conduct. Importantly, we also conduct due diligence on external partners to ensure proposed relationships are appropriate.
We are committed to ensuring that our investment and research strategies are appropriate, responsible and compliant with our legal and regulatory obligations and applicable ethical frameworks.
Right to take personal actions
Of course, everyone has a right to take personal actions and can campaign for the government to change the rules, for example ask to consider the legal implications of selling arms to particular countries. As we have mentioned before, we comply with legislative and regulatory frameworks that apply.
However, we don’t have the right to impose our values on colleagues undertaking legitimate, legally permissible activity. Furthermore, should we go down this path, who would decide and on what grounds and how would we get any consistency without any widely agreed framework?
In the past weeks, we have been asked to ban pro-choice and gender-critical speech (and by implication research on these subjects), and animal research - all on grounds of a socially responsible university, morality and ethics.
A reminder of our approach to managing consequent protest
There have been many events, protests and other activities on campus since October, the vast majority of which have been peaceful and respectful, including at Senate - our principal academic authority – where student protesters spoke eloquently and passionately.
That said, we will not tolerate racism, antisemitism, islamophobia, discrimination, harassment, abuse, or criminality. These have no place in our community. So, when we see evidence of instances where protest is not peaceful or respectful such as antisemitic graffiti or posters or discriminatory chanting, we will and do act - including reporting such instances to GMP and Prevent. We will also take action where our normal activities are significantly disrupted, or attempts are made to disrupt them.
Working closely with our Students’ Union
We will continue to discuss all matters with our Students’ Union officers and executive, as the representative body of all our students, in the normal way. We remain committed to enabling our community to come together to discuss and debate controversial topics in a constructive and respectful manner as we have done with recent open meetings on freedom of speech and university finances.
We will not undertake direct negotiations with individuals or groups who engage in or support the sort of activities we have recently witnessed on campus, which have been designed to create significant disruption to our community (for example, and most recently, the attempt on 13 May to shut down IT services). It is also clear that the current protests involve not only some of our students, but external parties unrelated to the University, who are supporting and directing activity.
Tent encampment since 1 May
Since the beginning of this month, a tent encampment has been in place on Brunswick Park, comprising a number of people who are protesting at the conflict in Israel and Gaza. This has followed numerous other events on campuses in the US and UK over recent days and weeks. Our Students’ Union representatives continue a regular dialogue with the protesters, and we have communicated several times about the specifics of that protest, on 1 May, 3 May, 10 May and 13 May. That will continue.
A clear reminder to current protesters
As we have said before, we remind anyone in the protest group or those thinking of congregating around it, that it is the responsibility of everyone to maintain the normal working of the University for everyone who calls it home. People must still be able to access their places of work and study, especially given the proximity to exams and assessments for many, in what is already a time of stress for some.
We have been very clear that protest must remain peaceful and not threaten or disrupt our teaching, learning and examinations or events on campus. We cannot accept any noise disruption or any other escalation which could negatively impact students during this critical exam period. Similarly, protest must not target individual members of our community or vandalise our infrastructure and must avoid hate speech.
Our Campus Support and Security colleagues are continuing to monitor the situation, and will work to make sure everyone is safe, and can go about their normal business. We also ask for consideration of our local community, recognising that there is a public right of way through Brunswick Park.
In conclusion
We fully recognise the right of students and staff to protest within the law, however, setting up camp in a city campus raises potential health and safety concerns, risks disruption to staff, students and our wider community and ultimately is an unauthorised and unlawful use of the University’s campus.
We are also very aware that this is a vital time of year for many students taking a range of exams and assessments.
In light of significant escalation of disruptive and/or likely unlawful activities by protestors over recent days, we have revised our strategy and will take proactive and reactive measures to intervene to mitigate the impact of those activities on our business and other staff and students, working with GMP as required. We are very conscious of the need to ensure that everyone on our campus remains safe and secure and this will be of utmost importance.
Patrick Hackett
Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer
On behalf of SLT