In this age of untrammelled internet abuse, it is touching to hear of an environment in which people worry unduly about giving offence to others (Safe spaces are not the only threat to free speech, 16 September). Although it is hard to argue with Timothy Garton Ash’s view that too much nervousness on this score may lead to the stifling of healthy debate. Where I differ is in his claim that freedom of speech alone requires protection in the “safe space” that is a university. A university is not a soapbox. It is a private institution with responsibilities to its students and its staff. Most people would surely agree that there are some views (racism, for example) that universities should not tolerate. Where to draw the line between those views that, though controversial, are permissible and those that are deemed beyond the pale will always be subjective and contestable. There is no straightforward, commonsense way of deciding this and there may be a strong case for saying that caution has been taken too far. But exclusion from a university setting does not threaten free speech in society as a whole. There are plenty of other forums in which to give offence.
Dr Patricia de Wolfe
London
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