Loading video...

Video Failed to Load

Go Home

📣 COMPLAINTS SCHEME FOR UNIVERSITY ACADEMICS IS NOW LIVE! Finally, academics, university staff and visiting speakers can take complaints directly to the regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), if they believe their free speech rights have been infringed. This was promised under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act...

SpeechUnion's profile picture

The Free Speech Union

222,673 subscribers

13,744 views • 3 days ago •via X (Twitter)

LIVE

Anya Rossi• Live Now

Private livecam show

0 Comments

No comments available

Comments from the original post will appear here

Related Videos

It’s good news that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has today announced she will finally implement the complaints scheme promised under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (HEFSA). This has been a long time coming and is the result of a sustained campaign to protect free speech on campus. Upon taking office, Bridget Phillipson paused HEFSA’s implementation, including the complaints scheme. After we brought legal proceedings, she U-turned and committed to delivering it. She has kept her word on that, and we thank her. At the Free Speech Union, around 8% of the 5,700+ cases we’ve handled over the past six years have involved universities failing to protect free speech and academic freedom. From April next year, the new scheme will allow academics, university staff and visiting speakers to take complaints directly to the Office for Students (OfS), free of charge, rather than pursuing costly legal action. Universities that fail to uphold free speech could face fines of over £500,000 or 2% of their income. But while this is good news, it’s not great news. Under the new scheme, students will not be able to bring complaints. Instead, they must go to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator or pursue expensive legal action themselves. Students should have access to this scheme, and we will continue to campaign for that right. There is also a wider issue: because HEFSA applies only in England, the scheme will not be available to those at universities across the rest of the UK. Watch Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, below 👇
2:42

It’s good news that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has today announced she will finally implement the complaints scheme promised under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (HEFSA). This has been a long time coming and is the result of a sustained campaign to protect free speech on campus. Upon taking office, Bridget Phillipson paused HEFSA’s implementation, including the complaints scheme. After we brought legal proceedings, she U-turned and committed to delivering it. She has kept her word on that, and we thank her. At the Free Speech Union, around 8% of the 5,700+ cases we’ve handled over the past six years have involved universities failing to protect free speech and academic freedom. From April next year, the new scheme will allow academics, university staff and visiting speakers to take complaints directly to the Office for Students (OfS), free of charge, rather than pursuing costly legal action. Universities that fail to uphold free speech could face fines of over £500,000 or 2% of their income. But while this is good news, it’s not great news. Under the new scheme, students will not be able to bring complaints. Instead, they must go to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator or pursue expensive legal action themselves. Students should have access to this scheme, and we will continue to campaign for that right. There is also a wider issue: because HEFSA applies only in England, the scheme will not be available to those at universities across the rest of the UK. Watch Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, below 👇

The Free Speech Union

11,530 views • 4 months ago

The judgment in the case of the University of Sussex vs the Office for Students is deeply disappointing. It not only overturns the OfS fine over failures to uphold free speech in the Kathleen Stock case — it also risks rendering the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act toothless. The consequence? More academics will be left exposed to the kind of vile treatment Kathleen Stock endured. We hope the OfS will challenge this judgement. If they do, the Free Speech Union will seek to intervene. Most alarming has been the triumphalist reaction from some university leaders — many of whom appear to hate the free speech duties under Hefsa. This judgment will be seen by them as a green light to ignore violations with impunity. The toxic culture of cancellation on campus is still alive and kicking. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, must now stick to her word — and urgently implement the complaints scheme promised under Hefsa. This scheme would give academics and visiting speakers a free route to defend their right to free speech. There can be no more delay. Watch General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, below 👇
2:50

The judgment in the case of the University of Sussex vs the Office for Students is deeply disappointing. It not only overturns the OfS fine over failures to uphold free speech in the Kathleen Stock case — it also risks rendering the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act toothless. The consequence? More academics will be left exposed to the kind of vile treatment Kathleen Stock endured. We hope the OfS will challenge this judgement. If they do, the Free Speech Union will seek to intervene. Most alarming has been the triumphalist reaction from some university leaders — many of whom appear to hate the free speech duties under Hefsa. This judgment will be seen by them as a green light to ignore violations with impunity. The toxic culture of cancellation on campus is still alive and kicking. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, must now stick to her word — and urgently implement the complaints scheme promised under Hefsa. This scheme would give academics and visiting speakers a free route to defend their right to free speech. There can be no more delay. Watch General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, below 👇

The Free Speech Union

13,702 views • 4 months ago

One of Bridget Phillipson’s first acts as Education Secretary was to pause commencement of Section 8 of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act — the provision that would have introduced a complaints scheme for students and academics. Despite a partial U-turn and a promise to bring forward a revised scheme – she wants to stop students from being able to complain about the activities of students unions – she has dragged her feet. The Department’s excuse is that introducing a revised complaints scheme would require amending a suitable bill — and none is currently in sight. This afternoon, the Free Speech Union’s General Secretary, Lord Young of Acton, informed the Skills Minister, Baroness Smith, that the House of Lords Library has advised him that Section 8 could be partially commenced via secondary legislation in a way that addresses the Education Secretary’s stated concerns, i.e., allowing academics and visiting speakers to complaint to the OfS, but not students. There is no constitutional requirement for this to be done through primary legislation — so why the delay in guaranteeing that free speech protections are properly enforced on campus? The Minister confirmed that the Department is considering Lord Young’s proposal. Watch Lord Young below 👇
1:27

One of Bridget Phillipson’s first acts as Education Secretary was to pause commencement of Section 8 of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act — the provision that would have introduced a complaints scheme for students and academics. Despite a partial U-turn and a promise to bring forward a revised scheme – she wants to stop students from being able to complain about the activities of students unions – she has dragged her feet. The Department’s excuse is that introducing a revised complaints scheme would require amending a suitable bill — and none is currently in sight. This afternoon, the Free Speech Union’s General Secretary, Lord Young of Acton, informed the Skills Minister, Baroness Smith, that the House of Lords Library has advised him that Section 8 could be partially commenced via secondary legislation in a way that addresses the Education Secretary’s stated concerns, i.e., allowing academics and visiting speakers to complaint to the OfS, but not students. There is no constitutional requirement for this to be done through primary legislation — so why the delay in guaranteeing that free speech protections are properly enforced on campus? The Minister confirmed that the Department is considering Lord Young’s proposal. Watch Lord Young below 👇

The Free Speech Union

20,868 views • 6 months ago

I raised my concerns today regarding free speech on our university campuses. 🏛️ Whether it's Zionist views, gender-critical perspectives or climate scepticism, there is a demonstrable two-tier approach to free speech playing out across our higher education institutions and it is students who are bearing the brunt of it. The Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act was passed precisely to give students the right to bring complaints to the Office for Students. I posed this to the Minister today and I do not believe his response was correct. It is, after all, called the Office for Students, not the Office for Everyone on Campus Except Students. The Free Speech Union
1:04

I raised my concerns today regarding free speech on our university campuses. 🏛️ Whether it's Zionist views, gender-critical perspectives or climate scepticism, there is a demonstrable two-tier approach to free speech playing out across our higher education institutions and it is students who are bearing the brunt of it. The Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act was passed precisely to give students the right to bring complaints to the Office for Students. I posed this to the Minister today and I do not believe his response was correct. It is, after all, called the Office for Students, not the Office for Everyone on Campus Except Students. The Free Speech Union

Jack Rankin MP 🇬🇧

12,759 views • 4 months ago

We can’t say we’re shocked that Andy Burnham has sacked Bridget Phillipson as Education Secretary. One of her first acts as Secretary of State was to torpedo the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (HEFSA) — arguably the most consequential piece of free speech legislation in the past 15 years. She reversed the commencement orders that would have brought the Act’s most important provisions into force, including the vital complaints scheme. Rather than asking Parliament to do so, she bypassed it through ministerial fiat. The Free Speech Union challenged this in the High Court on two grounds: first, that it breached the sacrosanct constitutional principle that a minister cannot defy the will of Parliament; and second, that she had failed to carry out an adequate impact assessment. Days before the case was due to be heard, Bridget Phillipson partially U-turned, announcing that she would commence most of the key provisions — and she duly did. We then became embroiled in a long-standing dispute over who had won the case. That mattered because it determined who would pay the legal costs. The High Court decided that the Free Speech Union had won and ordered the Government to pay our costs. Importantly, when Phillipson announced her partial U-turn, the Free Speech Union offered to settle if the Government paid £80,000 — around a quarter of our total legal costs. Pretty fair, no? Well, the Government refused. The Free Speech Union believes this was because Phillipson did not want to admit she had reversed course. The High Court has now ordered the Government to pay all of our costs. Bridget Phillipson’s hubris has cost taxpayers around £200,000. Combined with the Government’s own legal costs, the total bill exceeds £500,000. That also means we now have the resources to challenge Phillipson’s successor, Lucy Powell, should she attempt to reverse any of the commencement orders that bring HEFSA into force — including the much-needed complaints scheme for academics, university staff and visiting speakers, which is due to come into force on 1 September. Hear from The Free Speech Union General Secretary Lord Young of Acton 👇
2:22

We can’t say we’re shocked that Andy Burnham has sacked Bridget Phillipson as Education Secretary. One of her first acts as Secretary of State was to torpedo the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (HEFSA) — arguably the most consequential piece of free speech legislation in the past 15 years. She reversed the commencement orders that would have brought the Act’s most important provisions into force, including the vital complaints scheme. Rather than asking Parliament to do so, she bypassed it through ministerial fiat. The Free Speech Union challenged this in the High Court on two grounds: first, that it breached the sacrosanct constitutional principle that a minister cannot defy the will of Parliament; and second, that she had failed to carry out an adequate impact assessment. Days before the case was due to be heard, Bridget Phillipson partially U-turned, announcing that she would commence most of the key provisions — and she duly did. We then became embroiled in a long-standing dispute over who had won the case. That mattered because it determined who would pay the legal costs. The High Court decided that the Free Speech Union had won and ordered the Government to pay our costs. Importantly, when Phillipson announced her partial U-turn, the Free Speech Union offered to settle if the Government paid £80,000 — around a quarter of our total legal costs. Pretty fair, no? Well, the Government refused. The Free Speech Union believes this was because Phillipson did not want to admit she had reversed course. The High Court has now ordered the Government to pay all of our costs. Bridget Phillipson’s hubris has cost taxpayers around £200,000. Combined with the Government’s own legal costs, the total bill exceeds £500,000. That also means we now have the resources to challenge Phillipson’s successor, Lucy Powell, should she attempt to reverse any of the commencement orders that bring HEFSA into force — including the much-needed complaints scheme for academics, university staff and visiting speakers, which is due to come into force on 1 September. Hear from The Free Speech Union General Secretary Lord Young of Acton 👇

The Free Speech Union

161,822 views • 1 month ago

📢New FSU Podcast Out Now! Samiksha Bhattacharjee (Samiksha's State of the Debate) is a first-year student and President of the University College London Libertarian Society — a group that stands for free markets, free minds and free speech. But when Samiksha invited FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw to speak on free speech and women’s rights, all hell broke loose. A petition sought to pressure the student union into cancelling the event (which would likely have been unlawful under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act), and a protest was organised to “resist Connie Shaw”. On the day, Connie required close protection, with the Met Police and campus security present to ensure the event could go ahead safely, as a mob of students protested outside — and disrupted proceedings inside. Samiksha became the “most hated” student on campus for daring to host the event. While the student union could not cancel it, it did issue an apology to the trans and non-binary community for Connie’s “objectionable” views. Watch Samiksha's State of the Debate on this week’s FSU podcast, discussing what it’s like to be one of a small — but increasingly brave — group of students standing up for free speech on British campuses. Full episode available on our YouTube channel 👇
0:35

📢New FSU Podcast Out Now! Samiksha Bhattacharjee (Samiksha's State of the Debate) is a first-year student and President of the University College London Libertarian Society — a group that stands for free markets, free minds and free speech. But when Samiksha invited FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw to speak on free speech and women’s rights, all hell broke loose. A petition sought to pressure the student union into cancelling the event (which would likely have been unlawful under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act), and a protest was organised to “resist Connie Shaw”. On the day, Connie required close protection, with the Met Police and campus security present to ensure the event could go ahead safely, as a mob of students protested outside — and disrupted proceedings inside. Samiksha became the “most hated” student on campus for daring to host the event. While the student union could not cancel it, it did issue an apology to the trans and non-binary community for Connie’s “objectionable” views. Watch Samiksha's State of the Debate on this week’s FSU podcast, discussing what it’s like to be one of a small — but increasingly brave — group of students standing up for free speech on British campuses. Full episode available on our YouTube channel 👇

The Free Speech Union

35,163 views • 4 months ago

Free speech is under attack on university campuses across the country. We want to change that. The Free Speech Union administers the Ian Mactaggart Programme, which helps young people — especially students — promote and defend free speech. While we are witnessing a toxic culture of censorship on campus, with students ostracised or hounded out for holding and expressing lawful beliefs, there is also a growing determination to keep open debate alive. The programme supports more than 16 societies across the UK, as well as groups that have launched podcasts and organised conferences. FSU Education Officer Vinay Kapoor has been travelling across the country to meet students who are standing up for free speech on campus. Hear from Vinay Kapoor and Connie Shaw below and find out more about the Ian Mactaggart Programme 👇
2:41

Free speech is under attack on university campuses across the country. We want to change that. The Free Speech Union administers the Ian Mactaggart Programme, which helps young people — especially students — promote and defend free speech. While we are witnessing a toxic culture of censorship on campus, with students ostracised or hounded out for holding and expressing lawful beliefs, there is also a growing determination to keep open debate alive. The programme supports more than 16 societies across the UK, as well as groups that have launched podcasts and organised conferences. FSU Education Officer Vinay Kapoor has been travelling across the country to meet students who are standing up for free speech on campus. Hear from Vinay Kapoor and Connie Shaw below and find out more about the Ian Mactaggart Programme 👇

The Free Speech Union

17,595 views • 3 months ago

Last night, FSU Education and Events Director Jan Macvarish was on GB News speaking about Tommy Robinson and the disappearing High Court decision. Jan says the news that Tommy Robinson’s upcoming debate at the Oxford Union is a good thing, because students should be prepared to listen to people with very different views. Last week also saw a hugely disappointing judgment from the High Court in relation to the University of Sussex’s treatment of academic Kathleen Stock. As Jan says, the headline has been “Sussex win”, but it should be “academics and students lose”. This judgment is a step backwards for free speech on campus and essentially defangs the Office for Students and its ability to enforce free speech protections. The battle for free speech in our universities continues. Watch below 👇
12:40

Last night, FSU Education and Events Director Jan Macvarish was on GB News speaking about Tommy Robinson and the disappearing High Court decision. Jan says the news that Tommy Robinson’s upcoming debate at the Oxford Union is a good thing, because students should be prepared to listen to people with very different views. Last week also saw a hugely disappointing judgment from the High Court in relation to the University of Sussex’s treatment of academic Kathleen Stock. As Jan says, the headline has been “Sussex win”, but it should be “academics and students lose”. This judgment is a step backwards for free speech on campus and essentially defangs the Office for Students and its ability to enforce free speech protections. The battle for free speech in our universities continues. Watch below 👇

The Free Speech Union

17,319 views • 4 months ago

The Free Speech Union has said that, should Heather Herbert join the Free Speech Union, we would do our best to help him. Heather Herbert posted a vile and deeply offensive statement on the social media platform BlueSky about the tragic murder of Ann Widdecombe. The University of Aberdeen employee has now been arrested and charged over his offensive comments. While the Free Speech Union does not support Heather’s offensive comments about Ann — a dear late friend of the FSU — it is not an offence, no matter how offensive, to speak ill of the dead. Ann was a staunch defender of our fundamental right to free speech, and we very much doubt she would have supported Police Scotland’s actions. Police Scotland has a poor record when it comes to recognising citizens’ rights to free speech. If Heather has been charged with a speech offence, the Free Speech Union is here to help. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw 👇
2:52

The Free Speech Union has said that, should Heather Herbert join the Free Speech Union, we would do our best to help him. Heather Herbert posted a vile and deeply offensive statement on the social media platform BlueSky about the tragic murder of Ann Widdecombe. The University of Aberdeen employee has now been arrested and charged over his offensive comments. While the Free Speech Union does not support Heather’s offensive comments about Ann — a dear late friend of the FSU — it is not an offence, no matter how offensive, to speak ill of the dead. Ann was a staunch defender of our fundamental right to free speech, and we very much doubt she would have supported Police Scotland’s actions. Police Scotland has a poor record when it comes to recognising citizens’ rights to free speech. If Heather has been charged with a speech offence, the Free Speech Union is here to help. Watch FSU External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw 👇

The Free Speech Union

187,428 views • 1 month ago

🚨 WOKE INSURANCE FOR UNIVERSITY Are you heading off to university this September? Or know someone who is? Free Speech Union memberships are half price at just £14.99 for first-year university students. 1 in 8 of our cases comes from the higher education sector. If the woke mob comes for you, we will be by your side. Hear from Connie, David and Emma, some of the many students who have benefited from the FSU. Offer ends on 31st October. Link in first reply 👇
2:36

🚨 WOKE INSURANCE FOR UNIVERSITY Are you heading off to university this September? Or know someone who is? Free Speech Union memberships are half price at just £14.99 for first-year university students. 1 in 8 of our cases comes from the higher education sector. If the woke mob comes for you, we will be by your side. Hear from Connie, David and Emma, some of the many students who have benefited from the FSU. Offer ends on 31st October. Link in first reply 👇

The Free Speech Union

144,243 views • 1 year ago

Free speech in Britain is under attack — by the Government, by activists and by those who wish to silence you because of your views. Since the FSU was founded in February 2020, we have fought more than 6,300 cases defending our members’ right to free speech. Since the last general election in 2024, our membership has grown from 14,000 to more than 46,000. We have lobbied and petitioned successive governments to change laws and amend guidance to ensure our fundamental free speech rights are protected. The threat to free speech has never been more acute — whether at university, at work or, increasingly, online. We can no longer afford to take this fundamental right for granted. Take a look at some of our work below and join the FSU 👇
6:12

Free speech in Britain is under attack — by the Government, by activists and by those who wish to silence you because of your views. Since the FSU was founded in February 2020, we have fought more than 6,300 cases defending our members’ right to free speech. Since the last general election in 2024, our membership has grown from 14,000 to more than 46,000. We have lobbied and petitioned successive governments to change laws and amend guidance to ensure our fundamental free speech rights are protected. The threat to free speech has never been more acute — whether at university, at work or, increasingly, online. We can no longer afford to take this fundamental right for granted. Take a look at some of our work below and join the FSU 👇

The Free Speech Union

20,356 views • 17 days ago

This afternoon, Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of Jimmy Lai, sentenced to 20 years in jail under Hong Kong’s authoritarian National Security Law. He urged the Government to activate Section 9 of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which was due to be commenced on 1st August 2024, but which Bridget Phillipson ‘paused’ within days of becoming Education Secretary and has kept ‘under review’ ever since. Section 9 requires English universities to declare their foreign funding to the Office for Students so the higher education regulator can monitor the efforts of foreign governments – particularly that of China – to silence their critics on campus. This is particularly urgent given recent warnings from the head of MI6 about the growing Chinese influence in UK universities. The Minister’s response did little to inspire confidence. Watch Lord Young below 👇
1:17

This afternoon, Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of Jimmy Lai, sentenced to 20 years in jail under Hong Kong’s authoritarian National Security Law. He urged the Government to activate Section 9 of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which was due to be commenced on 1st August 2024, but which Bridget Phillipson ‘paused’ within days of becoming Education Secretary and has kept ‘under review’ ever since. Section 9 requires English universities to declare their foreign funding to the Office for Students so the higher education regulator can monitor the efforts of foreign governments – particularly that of China – to silence their critics on campus. This is particularly urgent given recent warnings from the head of MI6 about the growing Chinese influence in UK universities. The Minister’s response did little to inspire confidence. Watch Lord Young below 👇

The Free Speech Union

22,448 views • 6 months ago

Keir Starmer has proved to be completely USELESS — but he’s been a great recruiter for The Free Speech Union. This is the most AUTHORITARIAN government in a generation, and more and more people are concerned that their right to free speech is under attack. We’ve grown from 14,000 members at the time of the last election to over 40,000 today. Our staff has grown from 17 to 25 over the course of this year alone. Since the Free Speech Union was founded in February 2020, we’ve handled more than 5,100 cases — including 1,800 this year. The government insists that employers urge their employees to join a union. We urge you to join Britain’s fastest-growing union. Join the Free Speech Union today 👇
0:50

Keir Starmer has proved to be completely USELESS — but he’s been a great recruiter for The Free Speech Union. This is the most AUTHORITARIAN government in a generation, and more and more people are concerned that their right to free speech is under attack. We’ve grown from 14,000 members at the time of the last election to over 40,000 today. Our staff has grown from 17 to 25 over the course of this year alone. Since the Free Speech Union was founded in February 2020, we’ve handled more than 5,100 cases — including 1,800 this year. The government insists that employers urge their employees to join a union. We urge you to join Britain’s fastest-growing union. Join the Free Speech Union today 👇

The Free Speech Union

125,790 views • 8 months ago

More and more people are being cancelled simply for exercising their fundamental right to free speech. It was great to be in Belfast this week meeting members and supporters of the Free Speech Union. The threat to free speech has never been greater. Across the UK and beyond, people are facing growing pressure, professional consequences and social ostracism for expressing lawful opinions. Our work is more important than ever. Watch FSU Northern Ireland Advisory Council member Baroness Hoey (Kate Hoey) below 👇
0:25

More and more people are being cancelled simply for exercising their fundamental right to free speech. It was great to be in Belfast this week meeting members and supporters of the Free Speech Union. The threat to free speech has never been greater. Across the UK and beyond, people are facing growing pressure, professional consequences and social ostracism for expressing lawful opinions. Our work is more important than ever. Watch FSU Northern Ireland Advisory Council member Baroness Hoey (Kate Hoey) below 👇

The Free Speech Union

17,956 views • 3 months ago

📣🚨 NEW FSU MEMBER TESTIMONIAL “Buying a Free Speech Union membership was the best thing I did at university” In 2024, Connie Shaw was disciplined by both Leeds University Union and the University of Leeds itself for expressing her gender-critical views. After being permanently removed from her committee position at Leeds Student Radio for daring to interview Graham Linehan and write for his Substack, the University of Leeds launched disciplinary action against her too, accusing her of harassing a member of staff. This was because Connie had suggested that having a man who identifies as a woman teaching feminist philosophy might lead gender-critical students to self-censor. She was accused of ‘misgendering’, ‘outing’, and using a ‘slur’ (“trans identified male”). Most outrageously, one of the charges was that she had given ‘the impression that she supports Graham Linehan’s views’ because she ‘did not dissociate herself’ from his remarks in the interview and said it was ‘an honour’ to interview him. The stakes were raised so high that, if Connie had been found guilty, she could have been expelled from the University of Leeds entirely. Lord Young wrote to the Vice-Chancellor urging her to call off the disciplinary proceedings. When that failed, the Free Speech Union instructed an external barrister, who helped draft a 16-page legal defence. It worked, and Connie was able to complete her degree. However, she was told she could not speak publicly about the ordeal, or she could face further disciplinary action. Connie completed her degree and graduated in July 2025. She is now the External Affairs Officer at the Free Speech Union and a contributor to GB News. The attempts to cancel her seriously backfired. Watch Connie’s story below 👇
6:01

📣🚨 NEW FSU MEMBER TESTIMONIAL “Buying a Free Speech Union membership was the best thing I did at university” In 2024, Connie Shaw was disciplined by both Leeds University Union and the University of Leeds itself for expressing her gender-critical views. After being permanently removed from her committee position at Leeds Student Radio for daring to interview Graham Linehan and write for his Substack, the University of Leeds launched disciplinary action against her too, accusing her of harassing a member of staff. This was because Connie had suggested that having a man who identifies as a woman teaching feminist philosophy might lead gender-critical students to self-censor. She was accused of ‘misgendering’, ‘outing’, and using a ‘slur’ (“trans identified male”). Most outrageously, one of the charges was that she had given ‘the impression that she supports Graham Linehan’s views’ because she ‘did not dissociate herself’ from his remarks in the interview and said it was ‘an honour’ to interview him. The stakes were raised so high that, if Connie had been found guilty, she could have been expelled from the University of Leeds entirely. Lord Young wrote to the Vice-Chancellor urging her to call off the disciplinary proceedings. When that failed, the Free Speech Union instructed an external barrister, who helped draft a 16-page legal defence. It worked, and Connie was able to complete her degree. However, she was told she could not speak publicly about the ordeal, or she could face further disciplinary action. Connie completed her degree and graduated in July 2025. She is now the External Affairs Officer at the Free Speech Union and a contributor to GB News. The attempts to cancel her seriously backfired. Watch Connie’s story below 👇

The Free Speech Union

19,029 views • 4 months ago

Our External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw was almost expelled from university. Her crime? She had called a man a man, and defended the rights of women to single sex spaces. Connie’s university claimed that the expression of her gender critical views amounted to transphobic harassment. If she was found guilty she could have either been suspended and fined £500, or expelled entirely. Luckily, Connie was a member of the Free Speech Union. We instructed a top lawyer who wrote her a sixteen page legal defense. It worked, and she was found not guilty and could finish her philosophy degree. If you’re a university student with views that go against the woke orthodoxy, join the Free Speech Union. We will have your back if the mob comes for you. Annual student memberships are only £29.99.
0:42

Our External Affairs Officer Connie Shaw was almost expelled from university. Her crime? She had called a man a man, and defended the rights of women to single sex spaces. Connie’s university claimed that the expression of her gender critical views amounted to transphobic harassment. If she was found guilty she could have either been suspended and fined £500, or expelled entirely. Luckily, Connie was a member of the Free Speech Union. We instructed a top lawyer who wrote her a sixteen page legal defense. It worked, and she was found not guilty and could finish her philosophy degree. If you’re a university student with views that go against the woke orthodoxy, join the Free Speech Union. We will have your back if the mob comes for you. Annual student memberships are only £29.99.

The Free Speech Union

93,781 views • 7 months ago

The Free Speech Union has mixed feelings about Sir Keir Starmer’s departure as Prime Minister. On the one hand, he was no friend of free speech. On the other, he has been an outstanding recruiting sergeant for the FSU. Since he came to power in July 2024, the Free Speech Union’s membership has grown from 14,000 to 45,000. Unfortunately, we have little faith that Andy Burnham will be any better when it comes to free speech. Burnham has already called for greater restrictions on social media, and the Representation of the People Bill is likely to contain all kinds of threats to free speech. There is also no indication that he will abandon plans to ban “conversion therapy”, legislation that could see parents investigated or even prosecuted for conversations with their gender-confused children. It won’t be long before Sir Keir hands the authoritarian lanyard to Andy. The Free Speech Union will be watching closely. Watch Lord Young’s reaction to the Prime Minister’s resignation below 👇
1:35

The Free Speech Union has mixed feelings about Sir Keir Starmer’s departure as Prime Minister. On the one hand, he was no friend of free speech. On the other, he has been an outstanding recruiting sergeant for the FSU. Since he came to power in July 2024, the Free Speech Union’s membership has grown from 14,000 to 45,000. Unfortunately, we have little faith that Andy Burnham will be any better when it comes to free speech. Burnham has already called for greater restrictions on social media, and the Representation of the People Bill is likely to contain all kinds of threats to free speech. There is also no indication that he will abandon plans to ban “conversion therapy”, legislation that could see parents investigated or even prosecuted for conversations with their gender-confused children. It won’t be long before Sir Keir hands the authoritarian lanyard to Andy. The Free Speech Union will be watching closely. Watch Lord Young’s reaction to the Prime Minister’s resignation below 👇

The Free Speech Union

36,407 views • 2 months ago