UKLFI Charitable Trust hosted a webinar on “The Durham Debate and Freedom of Speech at Universities” with Lance Forman, David Collier and Natasha Hausdorff on Sunday 9th June 2024.
On Friday 7th June 2024 Lance Forman, David Collier, and Natasha Hausdorff were to speak at the Durham Union Society for the motion “This House Believes Palestinian Leadership is the biggest barrier to Peace”. The motion was to be opposed by Chris Doyle, Dr Peter Shambrook and Mohab Ramadan.
A Pro-Palestinian mob shouting “From the River to the Sea” blocked entrances to the Union Society’s building, preventing access and trapping students preparing for the debate inside. Durham University declined the assistance of the police and cancelled the debate.
In this webinar, the speakers for the motion delivered the speeches they had prepared for the debate and discuss the university’s obligation to secure freedom of speech within the law.
TO WATCH THE WEBINAR ON YOUTUBE CLICK HERE
More About the Speakers
David Collier is an investigative journalist and researcher, reporting on antisemitism and anti-Zionism in the UK. In 2022 pro-Israel media watchdog CAMERA gave him a Portrait of Courage award for his journalism, including historic antisemitism in the Labour Party.
Lance Forman is a businessman and former Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament. He is the fourth generation to manage H Forman & Son, a London based salmon smokery. He is a former President of the Cambridge Union.
Natasha Hausdorff is a barrister at 6 Pump Court Chambers and a frequent speaker on International Law. She has a law degree from Oxford University, qualified as a solicitor at Skadden, and subsequently gained an LLM from Tel Aviv University, focussing on public international law and the law of armed conflict.
She clerked for Miriam Naor, President of Israel’s Supreme Court, and was a Fellow at Columbia Law School’s National Security Program. Natasha is legal director of UKLFI Charitable Trust.
In the course of the current conflict, Natasha has been interviewed frequently on television to explain the application of the law of armed conflict. Tweets of her interview by Katya Adler on the BBC News Channel went viral with over 4 million views. Other videos of her interviews can be viewed HERE.