Disgraced Chris Williamson disinvited from Royal Holloway Students’ Union in compliance with hate speech policy

Royal Holloway’s Students’ Union has disinvited the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson from a Debating Society event in order to comply with its policy on hate speech.

In a statement, the Students’ Union said: “Over the weekend the Students’ Union was made aware of an event Debating Society had planned, involving the former Labour MP Chris Williamson, that contravened our Guest Speaker Policy – a policy introduced following the October 2019 referendum on No Platform for Hate Speech.

“No advance notice of this event was given to the Students’ Union and the society has failed to follow the guidance and training that has been delivered to them over the summer. The event has subsequently been cancelled and robust discussions will now take place with the society to understand why they have circumvented the policy, brought the Students’ Union’s reputation into disrepute, and to understand if further action is required.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomes the disinvitation to Mr Williamson, whose views were anathema even to Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].