1. The School has a mission, and a legal obligation, to uphold free speech in all meetings held at LSE - see the code of practice on free speech
2. Very broadly, the code says that all reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that a speaker is safe from when they arrive at LSE till they leave and that they can say what they have come to say without being shouted down, intimidated or otherwise prevented from speaking (irrespective of what we may think of them or what they have come to say).
3. You, as event organisers, are responsible in the first instance for assessing whether an event might be controversial or for other reasons require special treatment to ensure free speech, such as limited access or security. You should first complete the Risk Assessment Questionnaire.
4. Be honest about the potential outcomes of the event. If you don't flag up an event as controversial when necessary, it may delay the process and jeopardise the holding of the event. An event could be controversial in many ways.
For example, an event could be judged to:
- Encourage support for terrorism – terrorism of any sort. Under the Prevent duty, the School has a legal obligation to help prevent people being drawn into terrorism.
- Incite racial hatred.
- Be in breach of the Equality Act 2010.
- Contravene the Public Order Act 1986.
But just because an issue is controversial doesn't mean you can't run an event on it!
Part of LSE's mission is to explore controversial issues – in a respectful way, within the law. A controversial event may simply need a bit more planning and forethought to ensure that it can go ahead in safety. It may be necessary to modify some aspects of the way the event is run.
6. Start early – at least two weeks before the event and preferably sooner!
7. Once Room Bookings have the information they need, they will consider – with others such as LSE Security and if necessary consulting senior officers of the School – whether conditions must apply.
These might include, for example:
• Access: whether an open event should be restricted to LSE staff and students only.
• Security: whether security or stewards or both are required (eg public events typically require more security). Costs will be charged to the organising academic unit.
• Chairing: public events should in principle always be chaired by an LSE academic as a representative of the School; this may be requested even for a limited-access event if appropriate. Academic Units should in principle seek to identify suitable chairs themselves, with guidance from Room Bookings (who will if appropriate seek approval from the Director of Communications and Public Affairs; also see paragraph 9). The Chair should not be a speaker at the event or be expressing their own views on the subject matter of the event in a manner that would risk impacting on the freedom of speech of any of the panellists. At controversial events it is not prudent to have someone in the chair whose own views mean they may not be seen as a neutral chairperson. Also, at controversial events it is particularly important that the Chair seeks to ensure that there is an opportunity for the views of the speaker(s) to be challenged (ensure right of reply). Chairs' responsibilities are outlined in LSE's Guide to Chairing Public Meetings.
• Recording: the event may have to be filmed, in which case the room should have a video capture facility.
• Publicity: this may need to be restricted, and in particular not undertaken through social media.
8. In accordance with the Code of Practice on Free Speech, it may be necessary to consult the Free Speech Group on any proposal to modify, curtail access to, postpone or cancel an event, where modify means one or more speakers being asked not participate in an event which otherwise goes ahead.
9. For events which are referred to the Free Speech Group, the chair of the Good Campus Relations Group or the chair of the Free Speech Group or the Deans may in cases of exceptional need assist in finding a suitable chair. This will apply only where the society is unable to do so itself and Room Bookings and the Director of Communications and Public Affairs have been unable to assist.
10. The Code of Practice on Free Speech includes provision for appeal by any person dissatisfied with the School authorities' exercise of their responsibilities under the Code. Appeal will be in writing to the Director.
11. It must be recognised in all cases that it may not be possible for an appeal to be heard before the date of a planned event, if insufficient time remains.