UCU response to Bath University cancelling visit of BNP leader

UCU urged the University last week to cancel the invitation on safety grounds and said it felt the University was being manipulated by the BNP after it was revealed that the student who invited Mr Griffin was in fact the head of the youth wing of the party.

UCU joint general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We feel this is the correct decision. Allowing the BNP to speak would have compromised the safety of staff and students and sent out a very worrying message about Bath University's commitment to diversity.

'The millions of staff and students who cherish academic freedom as a precious right still deplore the presence in an institution of learning of Nick Griffin and his hate-filled messages. Nothing is more important than university campuses remaining environments where staff and students are free from intimidation and the threat of violence, and where they can work and study safely.'