When I founded the UCL Libertarian Society earlier this term, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I knew that in the modern university, “liberty” is often treated as a dirty word. But I didn’t realise that simply wanting to host a debate would require a high-security detail and ID checks.
Next week, we are hosting Connie Shaw to discuss free speech and the gender debate.
The response?
A formal petition from the LGBTQ+ Network demanding that the Students’ Union cancel the talk. They claim that “trans identity is not up for debate”… a phrase that has become the universal shutter-click for any conversation that challenges the status quo.
The Infiltration
In the last 24 hours, the backlash has moved from the vast swathe of hate comments on our posts (and face-to-face to committee members) to the tactical. Our membership list has seen a surge of members… but this includes some individuals who have signed the petition to cancel us. They have joined our society to monitor our internal communications.
T…
