Liberate the Debate Reading

10/10/2019

Don’t forget to come to our first event of the year in park bar at 7:30pm later today! We look forward to meeting you all!!!

25/09/2019

The committee are at freshers fayre on the field behind Union, come and say hi!

12/02/2019

An important post by LtD.

Welcome to the debate that was answered before it even started.

Down at Bristol, the University of Bristol Free Speech Society is looking to host an titled: 'Is there a problem with Free Speech on campus?'
Rather ironically, one of the speakers has not been permitted to speak, citing concerns of safety, which are rather unsubstantiated, unless considerable sums of money are paid to cover security(of a Durham university student who made inflammatory statements online - how he survives at Durham university without security on a daily basis must baffle Bristol SU).
Given that at the same university a few months past the Bristol Conservative Society would have had to pay £500 in security fees to host JRM, the SU is free to price out events by claiming ambiguous assessments of safety.
This isn't a no-platform as such, but is still worrying. In this case, the explicit threat of protest, or violent action has been unsubstantiated - it leads to the conclusion that Bristol SU will slap restrictions on an event if any controversial, offensive or shocking statement is made by an individual, rather than properly evaluating the risk of legitimate safety.

'Is there a problem with Free Speech on campus?' - Already answered m8.

11/02/2019

To All,

We are concerned about the recent incident regarding Peter Hitchens and the Portsmouth University Student Union. Mr Hitchens was prevented from speaking at an event, with the claim being that the event was 'postponed'.

It appears to be censorship on the sly, a prevention of freedom of speech determined by those who believe only a narrow range of views are acceptable.

Recent guidlines for universities regarding freedom of speech state:

1. Everyone has the right to free speech within the law.
2. Higher education providers should always work to widen debate and challenge, never to narrow it.
3. Any decision about speakers and events should seek to promote and protect the right to freedom of expression.
4. Peaceful protest is a protected form of expression; however, protest should not be allowed to shut down debate or infringe the rights of others.
5. Freedom of expression should not be abused for the purpose of unchallenged hatred or bigotry. Providers of higher education should always aim to encourage balanced and respectful debate

We at Liberate the Debate Reading stand with our friends across the Liberate the Debate organisation and anyone else who cares about freedom of speech and the protection of rights. We condemn actions that promote censorship or prevent open discussion. All voices have a right to be heard, to be challenged, to be criticised and we hope that some good can emerge from this incident, the realisation that freedom of speech is important and needs looking after.

Thanks

The Committee

28/01/2019

Don't forget to come to our event tomorrow in Park Bar at 8pm!

22/01/2019

Committee are at Re-freshers fayre in 3Sixty, come and say hi!

10/01/2019

Hi all,

Over the past couple of months, the committee have been in talks with an organisation called Liberate the Debate. They share our goals and ideas about the importance of discussion, debate and freedom of speech. Founded at Sussex University, they are now trying to create a national network of societies dedicated to pursuing the same goals.

We have decided to affiliate with Liberate the Debate as we believe it will help advance the society and provide great opportunities. They offer resources, contacts, a network of like-minded people and the potential for national meet-ups.

This means that the society will be changing its name to Liberate the Debate but will be continuing with the same committee and style of events. We hope this will be the start of a rewarding affiliation.

If you have any questions, queries, concerns don’t hesitate to message the page or any of the committee members.

Thanks!

06/12/2018

Hey guys, hope you're all well. We've been approached by BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat who are keen to do a discussion about the Brexit deal on Monday 10th December over some pizza. This would be in the morning. We need 2 people in favour of the deal and 2 against. Anyone up for it message asap.

22/11/2018

We are currently looking to expand the committee. The role available is Welfare Officer, but if there is more interest we can create another position. The committee makes decisions as a group so your opinion will be equally valid regardless of position. Message the page if you're interested!