gair rhydd y
In this week’s issue: an interview with Israeli spokesperson Yiftah Curiel, why whistleblowing is good idea, why blacking up is a bad idea, and why adulthood doesn’t start until you’re 25
Monday February 23rd 2015 | freeword | Issue 1045
“Anti-radicalisation” Act condemned
t Students’ Union takes stand against “chilling” anti-terror legislation t The bill, which has been passed, forces universities to spy on students Katie Evans
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ardiff University Students’ Union has called for the new Counter-Terrorism Bill to be revoked and has raised serious questions over the legality of the national act, which threatens to isolate a demographic already facing prejudice amongst growing fears of radicalisation. The Union released a statement online on Wednesday, February 16th in which it called for the immediate termination of the Bill which critics fear will feed growing Islamaphobia across the UK and turn universities into institutions of surveillance. The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 is the brainchild of Home
Secretary Theresa May and achieved royal assent on February 12th, giving the act the seal of approval to be rolled out under UK law. Under the Bill, universities will shoulder the responsibility of monitoring the activity of students suspected of radical practices, but the Union has raised questions over the incompatibility of the Bill with its commitment to students’ freedom of speech. Whilst numerous governing powers have been devolved to the Welsh National Assembly in Cardiff Bay, the issue of security and counter-terrorism remain under the domain of Parliament in Westminster.
you decide
The National Union of Students has already denounced the Bill on the grounds that it will contribute to an atmosphere ‘of suspicion and surveillance on campuses’, as well as creating a clash with universities’ long-held duty to freedom of speech. However, the Union has only recently aired its opposition, declaring: ‘The Bill proposes a number of new measures that build upon decades of previous ‘anti-extremism’ legislation that has served to legitimise mass surveillance and erode the civil liberties of people in the UK.’ It adds: ‘Placing a vague statutory responsibility on universities to ‘prevent
people being drawn into terrorism’, and giving the Government undefined powers to order that ‘extremist’ speakers be banned risks further developing a culture of suspicion and surveillance on campuses.’ University should be a space for learning rather than vigilance, according to the Union’s statement, which asserts: ‘Any expectation by the state for academic staff to be involved in monitoring their students is deeply worrying, and could have a chilling effect on relations between staff and students. ‘We fundamentally believe that our institution is a place for education, not surveillance.’
read their manifestos inside Cardiffstudents.com/elections
Pictured:
UK Home Secretary Theresa May
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