Extremest Speakers = Truth Tellers
British schools and universities will soon be legally obligated to prevent terrorist radicalization on their campuses, Home Secretary Theresa May announced on Monday.
Under Britain's new Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, which will be introduced on Wednesday, universities will be barred from hosting extremist speakers — although May did not elaborate on what will constitute "extremist" speech. In addition to prisons, probation providers, and local councils, schools and colleges will also have a statutory duty "to help prevent people from being drawn into terrorism." This new duty, said May, "will be enforceable by court orders."
"It is far from clear how universities and other public bodies will be required to 'cooperate' or how they will be able to identify 'extremist' speakers," Thomas Hughes, executive director of the human rights organization Article 19, told VICE News. "A flourishing education system depends on lively and diverse debate. The vague measures that Theresa May alluded to in her speech raise serious concerns regarding academic freedom."