When protest morphs into persecution: Kathleen Stock and Jeremy Vine 

We like to say that Britain is a free country — and so it is. But there are far too many people who apparently believe that their liberties include the right to silence others with whom they happen to disagree. Over the past few days, two prominent public figures— one an academic, the other a journalist— have been targeted by “protesters” at home and at their workplace. But these so-called protests have one purpose only: to threaten and intimidate. In a free society, such intimidatory intolerance should not be tolerated.

Kathleen Stock, who has written for TheArticle about gender and identity, is Professor of Philosophy at Sussex University. Her field is aesthetics, but she also happens to believe that biological sex is a given, regardless of gender, and that women-only spaces, in such places as prisons or refuges, should exclude trans women. She strongly denies being transphobic, but like many lesbians she feels that women’s rights are being eroded in the name of gender identity. For this she has been branded a “Terf” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). Her outspoken views on trans issues have attracted the hostility not only of extremists but seemingly of all who consider themselves woke. The verbal attacks that she has suffered for some three years reached a crescendo in the last fortnight, when posters appeared on the campus at Sussex calling for her to be sacked. 

Professor Stock has reportedly been told by police that her life is at risk and that she now requires a bodyguard on campus and CCTV cameras at home. The university authorities have been slow to defend her: they insist that her academic freedom of speech will be protected, while simultaneously assuring students of their “inclusivity”. On Saturday Baroness Falkner, the chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, wrote to The Times  (behind a paywall), describing the campaign to have her fired as “disgraceful” and promising to consider her case in proposals for stricter regulation of hatred on social media. Now the Minister for Equalities, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, has tweeted in support of Professor Stock. The pressure on universities to defend academic freedom will increase once the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill becomes law. It will impose a duty to “actively promote” academic liberties and allow victims of such campaigns to take action against universities and student unions.

However, the Labour Party strongly opposes the Bill and so do many academics. At Sussex, Professor Stock has been virtually isolated and feels ostracised by colleagues. While the Vice-Chancellor, Adam Tickell, insists that she, like all academic staff, has “an untrammelled right to say and believe what they think”, one lecturer there tweeted: “I salute these posters as an expression of resistance, intelligence and solidarity.” Hardline campaigners have sought to mobilise the role of students as fee-paying customers to bully the university into conforming to their views.

Meanwhile, in West London, the popular radio and TV presenter Jeremy Vine (pictured with Rachel Schofield) faces a different kind of intimidation. Anti-vaccine extremists visited his home last weekend to serve an “anti-vax writ”, or “notice of liability” against him for having reported on the Covid vaccination programme for the BBC. These documents have no legal force, but are intended to intimidate. The atmosphere of menace was reinforced by a video, posted online, showing the protesters presenting their “notice” to the broadcaster’s wife, Rachel Schofield, who is also a journalist. Vine (who was out at the time) later tweeted: “They were polite, for which I’m grateful, but coming to my home on a Sunday? And I’m a little unnerved by the heavy breathing, too.”

The anti-vax movement includes an ugly element, all too visible in the violence and incitement that have characterised some of their demonstrations. Their gathering outside his house and threatening “to take the street” is menacing (and is intended to be so). Any attempt to repeat the exercise should be treated as stalking. However, the police have merely invited Vine to submit details of the incident. That isn’t good enough. The Met should take seriously the online comments from anti-vaxers that Vine has posted (e.g. “Wait till we come with the noose Jeremy…”) and move quickly to protect him and his family. 

There are, of course, genuine ideological, political and social differences between the persecutors of Kathleen Stock and Jeremy Vine. Trans activists tend to come from the far-Left, anti-vaxers from the far-Right. The trans movement thrives on identity politics, the anti-vaxers on conspiracy theories. Yet the impact of their campaigns on their victims are not dissimilar. And both forms of hounding have a chilling effect on the public square, whether on campus or in the media. The police and the courts have a duty to investigate and prosecute those who cross the line between legitimate protest and these vicious persecutions. Silence from the authorities, moreover, may be misunderstood as denoting consent to thuggish behaviour. Freedom is fragile; it must be defended against those who wish to silence their opponents by odious means.

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