Shrinking Violets at Auckland University

Free Speech for Us: Proscription For Everyone Else

In Orwell's satire Animal Farm, "officially" all animal are equal, but some are more equal than others. 

No doubt the Students Association at Auckland university would loudly and proudly proclaim its belief in free speech--which is a form of equality.  In fact there have been recent unruly protests disrupting law abiding activities of other free citizens, leading to arrests of erstwhile Auckland University students.  The shrill cry of protest could be heard all over Albert Park: students have a right to protest and to freedom of speech we were told with megaphonic force. 

However, now it turns out that the Students Association is a living, walking, talking example of what Orwell was pointing out.
  In the collective hive, all speech is free, but some is more free than others.  What possible kinds of speech might the Students Association want to see suppressed?  Speech that offends someone else.  Apparently when one's cause is approved by the Students Association it has higher free speech rights than something which is opposed.

The particular issue at hand is abortion.  A pro-life group on campus has been doing sterling work, distributing pamphlets opposing abortion.  Some poor folk have taken offence.  They have complained to the Students Association in tears, distraught over the offensive material.  See how real the offence suffered. 

The upshot?  The Students Association, indirectly funded involuntarily by all students, is planning on muzzling the pro-life group by de-affiliating them as a campus organization.  All speech is free, but some is definitely more free than others at Animal Farm.  This from Stuff:

An anti-abortion club at Auckland University may be disaffiliated after students complained about being harassed by its members.  Auckland University Student Association president Arena Williams has called for a special general meeting next month, which could see ProLife Auckland being barred from associating itself with the university.

An announcement for the meeting said the association would consider whether the "Prolife Club be disaffiliated for propagating harmful misinformation [sic]". "Recently we've received complaints from students after [ProLife Auckland] handed out fliers at the campus," said Williams."On the fliers there was information which some felt was pressuring them into making different decisions than they normally would." 

OK.  So let's get this right.  Information has been disseminated ( that is, "spoken" in written form) to persuade people to a certain course of action.  Some feel their contrary position is being threatened.  They might now make a different choice.  So, under this "threat" the offending speech must be suppressed.  Spare us.  How pathetic, ignorant, and childish.  But wait--it's the normal operating rules for those who operate in the collective hive of the Borg. 

The "Right to Know" flier carries the slogan: "Hands up if you've heard this before: 'Abortion is a safe, simple medical procedure'."  Williams said it was "quite uncommon" for clubs to be disaffiliated, but said ProLife wasn't being treated unfairly.  "The complaints we received were serious because it was about spreading information which could be harmful to student health. "They were using something which was seen to skew peoples' views and had included information that had no medical grounds." 

Oh, this sounds bad.  Medical misinformation.  It could be harmful and dangerous.  Ban all that literature promoting cannibal use: it might be harmful.  When the Student President was asked how the offensive literature might be considered harmful, however, the President got all coy.

Williams said it was not appropriate for her to say how the distributed information was harmful.   "I think the issue is serious because the people who complained were being affronted. "Some of the people they were handing out fliers to had already been through the horrible experience of having an abortion, so it's very, very concerning." 

Clearly very, very, very concerning. Very. 

Imagine one of the in-favour anti-war organizations upon the campus passing out pamphlets condemning New Zealand's participation in the war of Western aggression in Afghanistan, alleging that it was nothing short of murder, the unjustified slaughter of other human beings.  Imagine a student whose brother had been in the NZ SAS and had been killed in Afghanistan being deeply offended and distressed.  Imagine that student complaining to the Students Association.  How "concerned" would the Student President be?  Not at all we reckon.  Instead she would have got up upon her bully pulpit and fulminated against all those who would dare assail free speech rights. 

Williams said Pro Life was trying to "drum up interest in debate", and while freedom of expression was valued, the problem lies in how the message was conveyed.

 Puleeeze.  Meanwhile, the ProLife President had it exactly right.

ProLife Auckland president Amy Blowers said the club had not been told about the meeting and that the pamphlet was "fairly reserved" in that it featured no images or inflammatory comments. "We're actually quite shocked that our club is being targeted with such extreme action as disaffiliation," she said. "If this in response to the Right to Know pamphlet, then this is very troubling because it means that the AUSA is not very supportive of freedom of expression at the University of Auckland." 

Yup, some speech is more equal than others down on Animal Farm.