Freedom of Speech
Free Speech and Academic Freedom are at the heart of university life. At Newcastle University, we have a Code of Practice to support and protect lawful free speech while also ensuring our community is inclusive, everyone feels welcome and able to be involved.
Members of our community should be free to express their point of view, and host events (which may include visiting speakers) to discuss and debate lawful views, even if those views are difficult to hear or do not align with the views of others, there may be times when we must be able to disagree well.
Freedom of assembly is also an essential part of university life and being able to come together and speak up is important. We have developed some useful protest guidelines to help our students and colleagues organise peaceful demonstrations allowing them to make their voices heard.
Whilst we will always take reasonably practicable steps to secure free speech within the law, we also have a responsibility to ensure that our community is a safe and inclusive environment. It is therefore important that when expressing views, it is done in a constructive manner. Freedom of Speech does not include threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour that causes or is likely to cause another person harassment, alarm or distress.
Whilst free speech and lawful protest are fundamental rights it is also important that protest does not prevent others from exercising their right to free speech and we respectfully ask that these rights are not exercised in a manner that denies the same freedoms to others who hold differing views.
On this page you will find resources created to enable Free Speech in addition to other useful information.
August 2025
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act is now live. Below is some information on what this means for the University.
What is purpose of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023?
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 comes into force for universities on 1 August 2025 and is intended to foster a culture of open and robust debate on university campuses, ensuring members of the university community can express their views freely within the bounds of the law.
What does the University need to do in response?
Maintain a Code of Practice:
The University and Newcastle University Students Union (NUSU) have developed a joint Code of Practice for Freedom of Speech. It outlines our approach to freedom of speech, including our process for inviting visiting speakers onto campus and for handling complaints related to free speech.
Promote Freedom of Speech:
At least annually, usually at the start of the academic year we will actively promote the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom to colleagues, students, and visitors.
Take reasonably practicable steps:
We will always take reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech within the law for colleagues, students and visiting speakers.
Protect Academic Freedom:
We will protect the academic freedom of academic colleagues by ensuring they can pursue research and teaching without fear of reprisal for expressing controversial or unpopular opinions.
Balance Free Speech with Other Legal Duties:
The University operates in a complex legal environment and are required to balance the duty to secure lawful speech for our community with other legislation e.g. Equality Act 2010 and the Terrorism Act 2006.
We have outlined these requirements in an appendix to the code of practice for free speech. Our Designated Officer for Free Speech will work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the needs of our community are taken into consideration as we implement the legal duty set out in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act.
Manage any complaints:
If they believe their freedom of speech rights have been violated and are unsatisfied with our internal complaints process colleagues, visiting speakers and students can escalate their complaint:
Colleagues and visiting speakers will be able to make complaints to the Office for Students (OfS) – we are awaiting further details on this scheme.
Students can make complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)
The Regulator:
The Office for Students (OfS) is the regulator for freedom of speech and has the power to impose sanctions for breaches of free speech duties.
Further Information:
For further information on the code of practice or visiting speakers please contact Kelly Oliver, Head of Risk and Compliance and Darrin Beattie, Designated Officer for Freedom of Speech (Newcastle University) or Stacey Wilson Governance and Risk Business Partner (NUSU)
Code of Practice for Free Speech