Sunak expected to confirm ‘anti-IHRA professor’ as his new ‘free speech tzar’
Professor Arif Ahmed expected to be announced as Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom this week
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Rishi Sunak is expected to this week confirm the appointment of a Cambridge professor who is an outspoken opponent of the IHRA definition of antisemitism as his new “free speech tsar.”
Arif Ahmed, who has spoken out against ‘cancel culture’ on campuses, is understood to have accepted the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, with the power to investigate universities which censure academics for their views.
Jewish News revealed earlier this year Professor ‘lined up’ for government’s academic free speech role is IHRA critic how Ahmed had personally criticised the IHRA definition claiming it “obstructs perfectly legitimate defence of Palestinian rights.”
In a blog written in 2021 after former education minister Gavin Williamson urged all universities to adopt IHRA, Ahmed added:”As such it chills free speech on a matter of the first importance. I hope the Secretary of State reconsiders the need for it; but these new free speech duties ought to rule it out in any case.”
On Sunday, a source told the Mail on Sunday that Professor Ahmed was about to be confirmed in his new role and that he would “bring critical external experience and knowledge from the higher education sector” to “promote freedom of speech and academic freedom in a practical way”.
His appointment is likely to anger Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, who has been a staunch supporter of the need for institutions to adopt the IHRA definition.
In January Ahmed took part in a free speech debate at the Cambridge Union. He spoke of the “right” not to be prevented from discussing issues by the state “just because it is offensive.”
Ahmed then said that it is “very difficult not to offend somebody” when discussing the issue of Israel/Palestine.
He gave the example of a New York schoolteacher who had placed a New York Times headline “Israel kills dozens of Palestinians” on his door together with a statement saying “I support Palestinian rights.”
The teacher was ordered to take it down, said Ahmed, because it was deemed to cause offence.He told the debate: “That’s an example of an issue that because it’s so important it’s inevitably going to cause offence.”
But Ahmed then warned about the consequences of not being able to discuss the issue.
Prof Ahmed, a philosophy lecturer at Gonville and Caius College, had previously sparked a backlash from students by inviting feminist Helen Joyce to give a speech about her book, Trans, which criticises aspects of transgender activism.
During last summer’s Conservative Party leadership contest, prime minister Sunak promised to tackle the “woke nonsense” he claimed was infecting public life.
Ahmed’s role has been created by provisions in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which achieved Royal Assent earlier this month.
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