‘Easy and simplistic’: Theresa May’s campus extremism strategy condemned

University vice-chancellors warn banning nonviolent Islamists from addressing students will drive problem underground University vice-chancellors have warned the home secretary, Theresa May, that banning nonviolent Islamist “extremists” from speaking on college campuses is a simplistic solution that will drive the problem underground. The National Union of Students also told ministers “wild sensationalism” over claims about radicalisation on campuses would “only serve to unfairly demonise Muslim students”. They were reacting to May’s claim, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph , that universities have treated the issue of extremism with complacency. May told the paper: “I don’t think they have been sufficiently willing to recognise what can be happening on their campuses and the radicalisation that can take place. I think there is more that universities can do.” Downing Street has yet to confirm the final details of the revised counter-terrorism strategy known as Prevent , but an announcement of the policy is expected tomorrow. The Daily Mail reports that the much delayed update will identify 40 English universities where there could be a “particular risk” of radicalisation or recruitment on campus. The home secretary has particularly targeted groups associated with the Federation of Student Islamic Societies : “They need to be prepared to stand up and say that organisations that are extreme or support extremism, or have extremist speakers, should not be part of their grouping,” said May. But university vice-chancellors rejected the charge that they had been complacent, pointing to a report earlier this year that showed two-thirds of colleges had engaged with Prevent officers. Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK , told the BBC: “I simply don’t recognise this description of universities as being complacent about terrorism. The report that Universities UK published earlier this year showed the extent to which universities are engaging with the police and security services and working with student unions to deal with unlawful external speakers.” She said it was important to draw a distinction between speakers who expressed disagreeable views and speakers who were unlawful in terms of inciting violence or terrorism. “There is absolutely no place in universities for speakers who encourage violence or who in some way breach race relations legislation, whatever it may be: they should be stopped. But what we are talking about here is speakers whose views we may not agree with. They may express extreme views. We may find their views repulsive or offensive, but we say those views need to be expressed so that students may challenge these views. If we ban those speakers not only do we compromise freedom of speech in a significant way but we drive the whole issue underground, and that is not the way to deal with it.” Dandridge said bans would fail: “There is a complex and fine line to be drawn between unlawful speech that should be banned, and views that we do not agree with [but which] we have to challenge. There is no room for rhetoric for easy, simplistic solutions that will not work.” She was backed by the National Union of Students. The president, Aaron Porter, said: “Given that the law requires universities to provide freedom of speech, and the government refuses to ban the hardline group Hizb ut-Tahrir despite promises to do so, it appears irresponsible of Theresa May to try to shift the blame for nonviolent extremism on to universities or students. “Facing up to the challenges that nonviolent extremism brings to campus life requires careful support and guidance from government, not wild sensationalism that only serves to unfairly demonise Muslim students.” Higher education UK security and terrorism Islam Theresa May Alan Travis guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 6, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.