Birmingham Universities AFAF

We are the joint branch of Academics For Academic Freedom for the universities in Birmingham. See

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

"The Woke Professor Trying to Get Elon Musk Expelled From the Royal Society"
Thanks @toadmeister and @LD_Sceptics
https://t.co/jl1diA28Tn

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

Belated happy new year! We hope 2025 started well for you. We are encouraged to see the government rethinking the proposal to scrap #HEFOSA but agree with @IGMansfield that "any watering down of the Act would be a disappointment".

https://t.co/cWd5DIwE8e

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

Congratulations, Professor Pike. 🍾

[Jon Pike @runthinkwrite]

Profile updated.🥂

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

I can't put this better than @ObhishekSaha has.

"Creating liability risk for universities that neglect their free speech duties is the most effective way to ensure that free speech is always factored in, substantively, to decision making."

#HEFOSA
#FreeSpeech

[Abhishek Saha @ObhishekSaha]

🧵1/ Powerful editorial from The Times, calling upon the government to implement the HEFOSA.

https://t.co/tKpydZg8EX

"None of the government’s retrospective ­attempts to justify its ill-motivated junking of the bill survives scrutiny." Hear, hear.

A Thread. 🧵

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

“Survey after survey indicates that a growing number of members of the academic community self-censor … One survey after another show that the majority of undergraduate students self censor.”

@Furedibyte asks why we don’t speak our minds on campus.

https://t.co/gL1QMTRllE

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

Now that’s how it’s done. All credit to @UofGlasgow Principal Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli @UofGVC and COO and Secretary Dr David Duncan @UofGCOO for protecting academic freedom and free speech.

#FreeSpeech

[Michael Foran @michaelpforan]

I’ve just finished lecturing to some of the best first-year students I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in my career to date and checked my email to see this. Life is good.

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

"By holding the debate, everyone in the room was showing their commitment to starting this cultural change. Others declared their position by their absence."

Is the era of #NoDebate coming to an end?

#HEFOSA
#FreeSpeech

[John Armstrong @johnarmstrong5]

Excellent to see a real debate. But it is a pity that UUK and the Union of Jewish Students have, to date, chosen not to publicly debate HEFOSA. Policy positions developed behind closed doors may ignore the real needs of, respectively, universities and Jewish students. 🧵

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

City St George's hosted a debate yesterday on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act #HEFOSA which was shelved by the Labour govt.

Thanks to @CityUniLondon @StGeorgesUni for hosting the debate, and to all the panellists for their thoughtful contributions.

#FreeSpeech

[Abhishek Saha @ObhishekSaha]

🧵 1/ A thread on the big debate on HEFOSA that took place this evening at City St George's. @ianpacemain @MShipworth @akuareindorf @jim_dickinson @NewsfromCity @CityUniLondon @CitySociology @Cityintpolitics

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

Please join us at the @AFAF_freespeech annual conference in London.
Date: Saturday 23 November
Time: 1300 - 1700
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Street, WC1R 4RL

#FreeSpeech

https://t.co/Z8OUECpzWN

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

Thank you @soniasodha for this excellent piece.
"Academic freedom – the freedom of scholars to question existing orthodoxies and put forward new ideas – is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and is a building block of democracy."
https://t.co/xjTUhZnI50

[Birmingham Universities AFAF @BhamUnisAFAF]

A branch of Academics for Academic Freedom for all the universities in Birmingham. #FreeSpeech
@AFAF_freespeech
@EdinUniAFAF
@lucaf_london
@StudentAFAF
@ComAcFreedom
@cakafaf
@BuckUniAFAF
@SpeechUnion