If you’ve been following recent events in the student movement, you may have heard of yet another worrying development at the University of Sussex. The Brighton campus has held a legendary place in the protest movement this year, as students have repeatedly occupied administration buildings in protest at privatisation and weakening of staff terms and conditions.
Now, vice-chancellor Michael Farthing has taken the extraordinary step of expelling five students associated with the occupation from their degrees. Though to be fair, it perhaps isn’t that extraordinary – I wrote about the increasing climate of crushing dissent on campuses a year and a half ago, and it’s got far worse. There is a petition being circulated calling on Farthing to reinstate the students immediately. Anyone who is concerned about academic freedom – or merely the right to protest – should sign.