Last chance to lobby MPs over Terrorism Bill

3 November 2005

AUT members are being urged to lobby their MP to ensure that the Terrorism Bill is amended to protect academic freedom.

In the Commons on Wednesday (2 November), the Government came within one vote of being defeated over its plans to criminalise the glorification of terrorism. This means there is a real chance of success when the Bill returns to the Commons for its Report Stage on Wednesday 9 November.

The AUT believes a number of the clauses in the Bill - which applies to the whole of the UK - will have a direct impact on academic freedom and members’ ability to teach and research certain subjects. The union has already expressed deep concern about the Terrorism Bill. It is lobbying MPs and Peers from all parties to seek to overturn the offending provisions, and is asking members to do the same.

AUT is also asking members who fear their own work may be directly affected by the Bill and who want to help prevent this to approach Jonathan Whitehead directly (details below), anonymously if necessary.

AUT’s full Parliamentary briefing is available below, but in brief our concerns cover the following provisions:

• encouragement and glorification of terrorism and how this will affect what a lecturer can or can not say to her/his students on sensitive historical, political or ethical subjects;
• dissemination of terrorist publications and the impact on members’ ability to use and distribute and libraries’ ability to stock some primary and secondary source materials;
• training for terrorism and the implications for all staff who train students in the use of noxious substances.

Jonathan Whitehead, AUT's head of public affairs, said: 'We have a real opportunity now to amend this Bill so that academic teaching and research are protected. Academic freedom is a fundamental part of a democratic society and should be defended whenever it is under attack. At the same time, it is vital that we are all better able to understand the causes of terrorism. Preventing academics from doing so freely will ultimately backfire on all of us.

'Also, underlying much of our concern is a growing fear about the possible impact of the Bill on community and race relations on campus through the creation of a culture of suspicion.

'We are asking our members to seize this opportunity to let their MPs know how strongly they feel about such a fundamental part of academic life.'

• The Terrorism Bill and academic freedom - parliamentary briefing, Oct 2005 (.pdf) (.pdf) [170kb]