Free speech worries cause ‘strong resistance’ to Prevent

Report finds tensions between universities’ obligations on the Prevent duty and free speech

Concerns around free speech give university staff “a strong philosophical resistance to Prevent”, the government’s counter-terrorism programme, according to a Department for Education report.

Research into how universities deal with their responsibilities under the Prevent duty, commissioned by the DfE and carried out by research group CFE Research, found that “the concept of free speech offers a strong philosophical resistance to Prevent” among some staff in higher education.