Wednesday October 6, 17-18h30 (Sydney Time)

How is the Prevent duty in England – the UK government’s ‘anti-radicalisation’ scheme – affecting freedom of speech, research and campaigning about Palestine justice at English Universities? Drawing on his field research, James Godfrey will discuss the combination of pressures on students and staff at universities in England in relation to teaching, researching and campaigning about Palestine. Despite these pressures, he continues to observe students and staff resisting in various ways. What lessons can be learnt in Australia from these experiences and strategies?

James Godfrey is a postgraduate researcher in Law at Birkbeck, University of London, and a visitor at the ANU, investigating the ‘Prevent duty’ in the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and its impacts on campaigning and free speech re Israeli Occupied Palestine within universities in England. He has interviewed students, staff, staff of student organisations, members of Palestine solidarity organisations and Islamic Societies, and representatives from peak bodies. Since the 1980s, James has participated in organisations campaigning for social justice, locally and internationally, focussing since 2011 on justice for the Palestinian people. He is a spokesperson for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which physically challenges the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza. James has also worked as a trade union organiser in Sydney and London.

Time: Wednesday 6 October, 5pm (Sydney time)

Registration: https://bit.ly/3tGBKGD