NationStates Jolt Archive

Recently, there has been a "guest lecturer" taking my Analysis (of text/screen/etc.) class, who, to be honest, is a complete idiot. However, unbeknownst to us, this is because our communist, Irish, out-spoken and intelligent lecturer is apparently undergoing investigation for the following comments made in "The Australian" newspaper...

"QUT: Students and staff speak out against censorship

Katrina Channels & Paul Benedek, Brisbane
30 March 2007

Sixty students and staff rallied in the Queensland University of Technology Kelvin Grove amphitheatre on March 15 to protest against the recent arrest of four QUT students for “unauthorised” political activity on campus.

The students, all activists with the QUT Social Justice Collective (SJC), were arrested on Market Day for collecting signatures on a Free David Hicks petition at a stall that the university administration said “did not have permission”. The conservative-run student guild called in security officers, who in turn called the police when the students refused to stop campaigning. The police demanded that the students “move on”, and arrested them when they refused.

“Never once under [former National Party premier] Joh Bjelke-Peterson were students arrested on this campus”, furious QUT staff member Gary McLennan told the protest. “We’re going to shame the university for this”, McLennan said, noting that the QUT vice-chancellor had watched as the students were carted away by a dozen police.

McLennan and other staff members who addressed the rally explained the importance of free speech on university campuses. When a student questioned why those arrested had not moved on, McLennan said: “A principle is at stake … If the university or police can determine who can speak and what can be said, it is no longer free speech.”

Members of the SJC pointed out that attempts had been made to block their previous requests for authorisation for activities that the student guild disagreed with. The rally was told, “Even this gathering is breaking university rules, because a megaphone is only allowed for one hour per week — 12-1pm on Tuesdays — with the university arguing that use at any other time will disturb other students”.

The students’ lawyer, Terry Fisher, said he will try to get all the students’ court appearances set for the same day in order to make a mockery of the university administration once it goes to trial. Since the rally, there have been no further attempts to curtail political campaigning on the campus, a small step forward for free speech."

I can't believe that the university would jeapordise our education to satisfy the very few right-wingers in the community.

Your thoughts?

I can't believe that the university would jeapordise our education to satisfy the very few right-wingers in the community.

Your thoughts?


You need to be more cynical.

You obviously have no idea how pissed one gets when people start making noise in front of the dorms...Freshman year there are all sorts of crazy rallies, concerts and other events on the South Oval at the most inopportune times for studying.

Recently, there has been a "guest lecturer" taking my Analysis (of text/screen/etc.) class, who, to be honest, is a complete idiot. However, unbeknownst to us, this is because our communist, Irish, out-spoken and intelligent lecturer is apparently undergoing investigation for the following comments made in "The Australian" newspaper...

"QUT: Students and staff speak out against censorship

Katrina Channels & Paul Benedek, Brisbane
30 March 2007

Sixty students and staff rallied in the Queensland University of Technology Kelvin Grove amphitheatre on March 15 to protest against the recent arrest of four QUT students for “unauthorised” political activity on campus.

The students, all activists with the QUT Social Justice Collective (SJC), were arrested on Market Day for collecting signatures on a Free David Hicks petition at a stall that the university administration said “did not have permission”. The conservative-run student guild called in security officers, who in turn called the police when the students refused to stop campaigning. The police demanded that the students “move on”, and arrested them when they refused.

“Never once under [former National Party premier] Joh Bjelke-Peterson were students arrested on this campus”, furious QUT staff member Gary McLennan told the protest. “We’re going to shame the university for this”, McLennan said, noting that the QUT vice-chancellor had watched as the students were carted away by a dozen police.

McLennan and other staff members who addressed the rally explained the importance of free speech on university campuses. When a student questioned why those arrested had not moved on, McLennan said: “A principle is at stake … If the university or police can determine who can speak and what can be said, it is no longer free speech.”

Members of the SJC pointed out that attempts had been made to block their previous requests for authorisation for activities that the student guild disagreed with. The rally was told, “Even this gathering is breaking university rules, because a megaphone is only allowed for one hour per week — 12-1pm on Tuesdays — with the university arguing that use at any other time will disturb other students”.

The students’ lawyer, Terry Fisher, said he will try to get all the students’ court appearances set for the same day in order to make a mockery of the university administration once it goes to trial. Since the rally, there have been no further attempts to curtail political campaigning on the campus, a small step forward for free speech."

I can't believe that the university would jeapordise our education to satisfy the very few right-wingers in the community.

Your thoughts?

Meh, at least you have something happening. Up here at JCU in Townsville there is never any cool political campaigning from either side to have fun with. :(

You obviously have no idea how pissed one gets when people start making noise in front of the dorms...Freshman year there are all sorts of crazy rallies, concerts and other events on the South Oval at the most inopportune times for studying.

Look, a fucking lecturer who is an amazing teacher was sacked for absolutely no good reason.

I don't give a shit about how "pissed" everyone gets. Students were ARRESTED on campus and a teacher was SACKED. It's bullshit.

Meh, at least you have something happening. Up here at JCU in Townsville there is never any cool political campaigning from either side to have fun with. :(

This isn't a joke. It isn't "cool". Our freedom of speech has become virtually non-existant. It's serious.

You need to be more cynical.

You have no idea.

This isn't a joke. It isn't "cool". Our freedom of speech has become virtually non-existant. It's serious.

It is May '68 all over again!

Freedom of speech...ridiculous. If liberals have control over the hearts and minds of a campus community, as they do in many other places, it is no less limiting, no less oppressive, and far more annoying, than police giving political activists fair warning.

Just because you participate in the oppression does not make it any better or worse than when police repress people's freedom. On the contrary, it has no effect at all. The purpose in persuasive discourse is to shut up your opponent. Who cares what the means are, as long as they aren't intrinsically immoral?

Freedom of speech...ridiculous. If liberals have control over the hearts and minds of a campus community, as they do in many other places, it is no less limiting, no less oppressive, and far more annoying, than police giving political activists fair warning.

Just because you participate in the oppression does not make it any better or worse than when police repress people's freedom. On the contrary, it has no effect at all. The purpose in persuasive discourse is to shut up your opponent. Who cares what the means are, as long as they aren't intrinsically immoral?

Um... so you're saying that having your opponent arrested is a legitimate debate tactic?

How about I call the mods on you, and have you deleted? Would that be fair? (Not that I would, and not that they would do it if I did. Just for the sake of argument.)

:rolleyes:

Err...I didn't read anything about someone getting fired. Did I miss it? *re-reads*

The purpose in persuasive discourse is to shut up your opponent.
You're mistaken. The purpose of persuasive discourse is to explain the merits of your ideas over your opponents', not to pretend that opposition does not exist.

I remember something similar happened at QUT some time ago. Triple J's Hack even had a show about it, but I can't find the podcast on the web.

It seems it comes down to these groups not bothering getting university approval of their stands and actions, because in the past spurious reasons have been used to try and censor their message.

Sorta makes me glad to be at UQ. They don't have these issues there, you get annoyed by the "Socialist Alternative" every time you walk along the main square with such fascinating topics as "Marxism in the 21st century" or "The failure of Capitalism in Latin America".

I went to one of their events once, because they had Mamdouh Habib there (a released Gitmo detainee). Habib was a bit of a dick, but I suppose that was to be expected. The way the Socialist Alternative types seemed to cut off questions though and then get into tirades about how evil America is was really putting me off though. So I left.

Im all for free speech, but if your on Uni grounds, ask permission, its not fucking hard. Secondly its not as if they went in with guns blazing, they asked them to leave, then called the police. THEN the police asked them to leave. The article suggests that they were using a microphone, and i can imagine they were real quiet after being asked to leave the first and second time *sarcasm*. Some people need to learn that shoving your view point down other peoples throats isnt going to win you support. If you cant do things right dont do them.

Dude, you're in Australia. There is no freedom of speech here. Or any other right, for that matter.

Hell, the constitution here specifically authorises the states to block voting on racial grounds.

Australia: Possessor of the crappiest constitution in the west!

Dude, you're in Australia. There is no freedom of speech here. Or any other right, for that matter.

Hell, the constitution here specifically authorises the states to block voting on racial grounds.

Australia: Possessor of the crappiest constitution in the west!

You're hardly the west. I mean, you're pretty much due south from Japan and Indonesia.

You're hardly the west. I mean, you're pretty much due south from Japan and Indonesia.

True. But the "west/east" dichotomy has never been about geographical location, really. Australia is firmly a "Western Nation".

Err...I didn't read anything about someone getting fired. Did I miss it? *re-reads*

He may be getting fired because of what he published, in addition to other things.

If, while I am in college, students' freedom of speech is limited - even if it is an opinion I am strongly opposed to - I will dig out that coil gun that was built as a project by engineering students a few years ago.

Look, a fucking lecturer who is an amazing teacher was sacked for absolutely no good reason.

I don't give a shit about how "pissed" everyone gets. Students were ARRESTED on campus and a teacher was SACKED. It's bullshit.

from what I see, if it is true that they did not have a permit then it is an unlawful assembly and thus the authorities were right to call in the cops to break it up. Now if they did have authorization then it was illegal to break it up. From what I am reading though they did not have authorization. *shrugs*

WIth that said, the law was followed.