Students vote to remove ' no platform' policy

[Nicholas]

Students at the University of East Anglia have rejected the National Union of Students' "no platform for fascists" policy, saying that free debate is the only way to tackle extremism. The news comes after the Oxford Union decided to invite the leader of the British National party, Nick Griffin, and controversial historian David Irving to a freedom of speech debate, which sparked protests yesterday. The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, is expected to add to the debate when he speaks at the Fabian Society this evening. Three quarters (75%) of UEA students voted against the NUS' no platform policy - that excludes fascists from all debate - in a referendum.

Richard Reynolds, leader of the student wing of the Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF) campaign, who led those against the policy, said: "This is a proud moment for the students of UEA as well as for people who believe in free speech and democracy everywhere. The cowardice of this NUS policy has gone on too long. Freedom of speech should never be compromised because of our fear of what people might say. If we as students want to take on fascists and racists, we can and will beat them. This is democracy - it's dangerous, but that's what makes it worth doing." Reynolds said the "sheer vanity" of which students of the Oxford Union were accused was "the vanity of anyone who engages with democracy". "Perhaps it is vain to believe you can take on those who you fundamentally disagree with. However, that 'vanity' would seem to be the basis of politics for anyone who believes that it can do more than fiddle with school curricula and lose people's personal data."

The founder of the AFAF, Dennis Hayes, said the vote was a turning point in student politics. "It shows that ordinary student