A £585,000 fine was imposed on the University of Sussex for violating free speech in the Kathleen Stock case

The Office for Students has fined the University of Sussex £585,000 for violating the right to free speech.

The greatest fine ever imposed on a UK institution for a breach of free speech was £585,000, which was imposed on the institution of Sussex by the Office for Students (OfS).

The fine comes following Professor Kathleen Stock’s well-publicized resignation in 2021 due to protests against her ideas on gender and sex. According to the OfS, the university’s Trans and Non-Binary Equality policy, which mandated that course materials “positively represent trans people” and declared that “transphobic propaganda [would] not be tolerated,” fostered an atmosphere in which faculty, staff, and students were afraid of facing repercussions for voicing particular opinions.

The university’s policies have caused a “chilling effect” on campus, leading people to self-censor, according to Arif Ahmed, the director of academic freedom and freedom of speech for the Office of the Secretary of State. He underlined that academic institutions must preserve the right to free speech and that the OfS had carried out a comprehensive examination prior to imposing the sanction.

The University of Sussex has declared its intention to formally contest the decision and has harshly denounced it. According to Vice-Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil, the OfS rule is a “unreasonably absolutist definition of free speech,” forcing colleges to fulfill “opposing and irreconcilable duties” that make it challenging to stop harassment while preserving the right to free speech. Additionally, the regulator was accused by the institution of waging a “vindictive and unreasonable campaign” against it.

Supporting the OfS decision, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson argued that academic freedom and free speech are “non-negotiables” in higher education. “You must be ready to have your opinions challenged, hear opposing viewpoints, and be exposed to uncomfortable truths if you attend university,” she said.

The fine highlights how UK colleges are coming under more and more scrutiny for how they handle free speech. In January, the OfS was given further authority that enables it to impose monetary sanctions on institutions that fail to uphold the right to free speech.

The University of Sussex contends that since it was taken from a template, its policy has undergone revisions. The OfS insisted, however, that its conclusions showed a serious violation of academic freedom.