Sir, – The right of someone to speak freely on a matter should not be equated with an entitlement to a platform to do so. For example, it would be ridiculous to claim that it would be infringing a racist Ku Klux Klansman’s right to free speech if he were to be refused the opportunity to speak at a black civil rights meeting or at a Jewish meeting fighting anti-Semitism?
Similarly, would it be infringing free speech to deny paedophiles a platform at an abuse victims’ meeting? I used to believe university societies should have the right to invite whoever they want to their debates. However, given the steady rise of racism, I now believe that they and we all have a higher imperative to take a leading stand on certain basic anti-racist principles and give a loud NO to racism; rather than invite people whose views on immigrant minorities are already well known and regarded as extremely offensive to the vast majority of the tax-paying public – the very same public who in fact fund the ability of students to invite such individuals to such meetings in the first place.
I suggest that the usefulness of inviting such people to a “debate” is as meaningful as inviting members of the Flat Earth Society on a round-the-world cruise. – Yours, etc,