“Mob censorship” and “speech crimes”: freedom of expression is increasingly under attack worldwide

“Mob censorship” and “speech crimes”: freedom of expression is increasingly under attack worldwide


Free expression at American universities is in steep decline. A survey of almost 60,000 students shows which universities are the worst offenders and identifies topics that are increasingly taboo due to anti-Semitism and threats of violence.

Some of the most prestigious universities are among the worst at protecting free speech. A recent survey found that war in the Middle East is exacerbating divisions on college campuses and leading to increased censorship.

Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), said 2023 was the worst year on record for college campuses and says this year's report contains a stark warning.

“And since October 7, it has been primarily pro-Palestinian students who have been participating in these protests, which is by definition mob censorship,” Lukianoff said. “Everything will blow up in 2024.”

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Lukianoff has monitored free speech on campus for decades through the most comprehensive survey to date, covering over 250 universities. The survey, conducted from January to June 2024, collected responses from students in four-year programs. The University of Virginia was found to perform best in promoting a strong free speech environment, followed by Michigan Technological University.

Lukianoff noted, “It's no coincidence that Michigan Tech placed first last year and second this year – they have a balanced political mix among the students, which creates a much healthier environment.”

The worst schools for free speech, however, include New York University, Columbia and, at the bottom, Harvard.

“If you have, say, a nine-to-one ratio of liberals to conservatives, that creates inequality – and especially when some of these universities have entire departments that don't have a single conservative. That leads to terrible groupthink, which is not good for knowledge production,” Lukianoff said.

Over half of the students surveyed described the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the most difficult topic to discuss openly. This issue now extends even beyond abortion and gun control, with Jewish, Muslim, agnostic and atheist students all reporting significant discomfort in participating in these conversations.

Lukianoff added: “Frankly, for the first time, university presidents are afraid of their own students. To me, they need to show some courage here – some of them are, but a lot of them are just doing what's loudest. People on campus want them to do it.”

Perhaps even more worrying is that attacks on free speech are becoming a global problem.

“The global picture of free speech scares the hell out of me,” Lukianoff said. “Canada is still considering passing a law that would make speech crimes punishable by life in prison. Ireland passed a speech law and thousands of Brits were arrested for offensive comments online between 2015 and 2016. We’re in a bad spot here in America – thank God we have the First Amendment and a strong commitment to free speech, but boy, will that be tested when the rest of the world turns against it?”

Lukianoff believes universities need comprehensive reforms and notes that the college free speech survey could help make campuses safer environments for free speech. He also urges parents to use it when deciding which schools to send their children to.

Source: cbn.com

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