The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed transgender students amid an ongoing row over free speech at universities and said institutions should face cuts if they “insult” the minority group.
The Most Rev Justin Welby made the comments at an event where he said higher education bodies should face “serious consequences” for allowing any “anti” trans sentiment to be “tolerated”.
As the head of the Anglican Church, Mr Welby sits in the House of Lords and is not shy from commenting on political issues, having previously criticised the Government Rwanda migrant strategy.
But his foray into the trans debate has worried some who believe women’s spaces are being put at risk by some elements of the trans campaign, and his comments have been called “concerning”.
Mr Welby made his remarks at an evening hosted by the Board of Deputies of British Jews where he also made a commitment to tackling anti-Semitism.
He said: “Universities that allow it to be tolerated if there is systemic, ‘anti’ any category, whether it’s Jewish people, Jewish societies, whether it’s trans people – whatever it is, whether you agree with them or not – should have really quite serious consequences in terms of the recognition of their authority, their position. And their funding, in particular, I think that is really important.”
Mr Welby told the event “no one is entitled not to be offended” and that people had every right “not to be abused, insulted and excluded – whoever they are”.
The religious leader added: “I’ve always said that antisemitism is the root of all racism and the absolute foundation of all racism in our societies. If it’s permissible to hate Jews, it’s permissible to hate all others who are different to ourselves.”
The discussion around trans rights has become explosive in recent months with some activists clashing with gender critical feminists who have concerns about keeping spaces for women.
At the University of Oxford scholar professor Kathleen Stock was almost blocked by students from speaking about her own gender critical views at the institution’s debating society. Outside the event, large crowds of trans supporters chanted slogans against her appearance and the debate itself with briefly halted by protesters.
She stepped down from her role as a philosophy professor at the University of Sussex in 2021 following a backlash from students opposed to her views on transgender rights.
Elsewhere at the University of Edinburgh, the screening of a film transgender ideology, called Adult Human Female, has been cancelled twice due to pro-trans demonstrations.
Maya Forstater, the founder of the Sex Matters campaign group, told the Telegraph: “The Archbishop’s comments are concerning. The students who protested against Kathleen Stock at Sussex, Oxford and Cambridge, and against other gender-critical speakers at Edinburgh, Essex and UCL, thought they were being courageous and standing up for trans students.
“It’s critical that universities stand up for freedom of speech and, in protecting any group from harassment, don’t create ‘anti-blasphemy’ rules.”
Powers to prevent speakers from being “cancelled” by universities are set to become law in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act which would allow universities to be sued for infringing on speakers’ rights.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our newly passed Freedom of Speech Act will make sure that universities promote free speech and that those who have their free speech rights unlawfully restricted on campus can seek redress.
“There is nothing in this legislation which gives anyone the right to harass, intimidate or spread hate speech.”
