Humanist and secularist campaigners have raised concerns regarding the status of free speech on British university campuses following an incident involving the student Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society (ASHS) at the London School of Economics.
While running a stall at the LSE Freshers Fair last Thursday, 3 October, Abishek Phadnis and Chris Moos of the ASHS were approached by representatives of LSE Students' Union (LSESU) and asked to remove the t-shirts they were wearing, which featured images from the web comic Jesus & Mo. After refusing to do so, Phadnis and Moos were approached by LSE security staff. They have summarised what happened in a statement:
When the LSE security arrived, we were asked to cover our t-shirts or leave LSE premises. When we asked for the rules and regulations we were in breach of, we were told that the LSE was being consulted about how to proceed. After a period of consultation, Kevin Haynes (LSE Legal and Compliance Team) and Paul Thornbury (LSE Head of Security) explained to us that we were not behaving in an “orderly and responsible manner”, and that the wearing of the t-shirt could be considered “harassment”, as it could “offend others” by creating an “offensive environment”. We asked what exactly was “offensive” about the t-shirts, and how the display of a non-violent and non-racist comic strip could be considered “harassment” of other students. Paul Thornbury told us that it was “clearly deceitful” of us to say that we had not intended to cause offence and that we did not feel that we had behaved inappropriately or harassed other students. This unreasonable behaviour of the LSE and LSESU staff caused us serious distress, particularly the allegations that our motives were to “offend” others.
The students were informed that they would be removed from the premises if they did not cover up the shirts. After expressing their disagreement, they zipped up their jackets, after which they were informed that two security guards would remain in the room to monitor their behaviour.
On the second day the of the Freshers Fair, Phadnis and Moos mounted a "silent protest" against the events of the previous day, wearing the Jesus & Mo t-shirts, but with "censorship" tape covering the supposedly offending areas. The students were approached by the Deputy Chief Executive of LSESU, Jarlath O'Hara, who asked them to remove the shirts. After they refused, O'Hara informed them that he was calling security:
At about 2:30pm, Paul Thornbury, Head of LSE Security, delivered a letter from the School Secretary Susan Scholefield. The letter claimed that some students found our tshirts “offensive”, even though we had covered up the “offensive” parts of the t-shirts. It claimed we were in possible breach of the LSE Harassment Policy and Disciplinary Procedure, and that our actions were “damaging the School’s reputation”, and “undermining the spirit of the LSESU Freshers’ Fair and good campus relations at LSE”. It concluded by asking us to “refrain from wearing the t-shirts in question and cover any other potentially offensive imagery”, and warning us that the School “reserves the right to consider taking further action if warranted”.
Following the incidents at the Freshers Fair, Phadnis and Moos have expressed their shock at the actions of LSESU and the LSE security team, and have said they will be seeking clarification from LSE on the issue:
We are still in shock about the intimidating behaviour of the LSESU and LSE staff. Again, we strongly reject the claim that our clothing or behaviour could be reasonably interpreted as “harassing” or “offensive”. In any case, we believe that in an open and multicultural society, there can be no right not to be offended without undermining freedom of expression, which is essential to the functioning of universities as much as of wider society.
We have written to the LSE Pro-Director for Teaching and Learning, Paul Kelly, and the Head of LSE Legal and Compliance, Kevin Haynes, expressing indignation at our treatment and seeking a full explanation of the grounds of the allegations against us. We are still awaiting a detailed reply.
Phadnis and Moos have received support from the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies (AHS), as well as the British Humanist Association and the National Secular Society. A petition calling on LSESU to apologise to Moos and Phadnis has received over 1,000 signatures.
Andrew Copson of the BHA said:
The LSESU is acting in a totally disproportionate manner in their dealings with our affiliate society. That a satirical webcomic can be deemed to be so offensive as to constitute harassment is a sad indictment of the state of free speech at Britain’s Universities today. This hysteria on the part of the SU and University is totally unwarranted; intelligent young adults of whatever beliefs are not so sensitive that they need to be protected from this sort of material in an academic institution. Our lawyers are advising our affiliated society at LSE and we will be working with them, the students, and the AHS to resolve this issue.
The events at LSE are the latest in a series of incidents involving atheist student societies and the issue of free speech on campuses. To read more, see the AHS president Rory Fenton's recent post on the RA blog, in which he outlines some of the recent incidents and warns that free speech at our universities is increasingly threatened by excessive religious sensitivity.
