Britain | Snitches and witches

How activists and charities embed contested ideologies on campus

Compliance is enforced by anonymous reporting tools and benchmarking schemes

IN LATE 2020 administrators at Cambridge University tried to update its free-speech policy to say that faculty and students must be “respectful” of the views and identities of others, rather than merely “tolerating” them. Fearing a chilling effect on research and debate, several scholars succeeded in getting a secret vote on the change. Fully 87% of faculty rejected it.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Snitches and witches”

Power play: The new age of energy and security

From the March 26th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Double exposure photo of the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.

Why have Britain’s bond yields jumped sharply?

Mostly, blame Donald Trump. But Labour’s policies haven’t helped

Illustration of a woman with the trace of a hand on her neck.

The phenomenon of sexual strangulation in Britain

A survey suggests the risky practice is more common than you might think


Sky Gardens/Midland Mills under construction in Leeds.

The decline in remote working hits Britain’s housing market

A return to the office means a return to town


Britons are keener than ever to bring back lost and rare species

Immigrants that everyone can get behind

A much-praised British scheme to help disabled workers is failing them

It lavishes spending on some, and unfairly deprives others