This is an interesting one. While I abhor the sentiments expressed by Spurr, my view is that the university must be the one place where freedom of expression is absolutely sacred. After all, the university is the place of dangerous ideas where ideas, theories, movements are examined, tested, chewed, digested and debated by people whos job is to think about things. Sure, sometimes those ideas will be disgusting, abhorrent and untenable but the fact that they can be openly examined, debated and tested is crucial if we are to value freedom of thought. I strongly doubt that Spurr could change the views of students who are not like minded. Indeed the debate around posing an opposite view to his would be beneficial in strengthening positive views against Spurrs ideas.
Academic freedom is central to our notion of universities being the bastion of creative intellectual ferment from which our society benefits.
