A UNIVERSITY admitted it made “serious mistakes” after two professors were blocked from taking part in seminars over accusations of transphobia.

The University of Essex has issued an apology after a report found it acted unlawfully by blacklisting a professor.

It also withdrew an invitation extended to another professor after her views were compared to hate speech.

In December 2019, Prof Jo Phoenix had been due to speak at the university on the subject of ‘Trans rights, imprisonment and the criminal justice system’.

In a damning independent report, barrister Akua Reindorf said some people felt “unsafe and threatened” by the prospect of the professor appearing on campus.

The seminar was cancelled and the university issued an apology to the trans community.

Read more >>> University acted 'unlawfully' by banning speaker over trans rights row

But the report found the cancellation amounted to a breach of the professor’s right to freedom of expression and the university’s legal duties to uphold this right.

 

It added: “The later decision to exclude and blacklist Prof Phoenix was also unlawful.

“There was no reasonable basis for thinking that Prof Phoenix would engage in harassment or any other kind of unlawful speech.”

Last year, Prof Rosa Freedman was due to participate in a discussion on The State of Antisemitism Today to mark Holocaust Memorial Week.

Complaints were made she had published views which amounted to “hate speech”.

Concerns about her views were discussed by the university and she was not sent a formal invitation.

Prof Freedman wrote to her MP and the Universities Minister complaining of having been blacklisted.

Offering both professors an apology, Essex University’s vice-chancellor Prof Anthony Forster said: “The report makes clear we have made serious mistakes and we need to do our best to learn from these and to ensure they are not repeated.

“The review notes the particular responsibility placed on universities to protect freedom of speech within the law, and to ensure that a diversity of voices and views can be heard on our campuses.”

In a series of Tweets Prof Phoenix said she "welcomed the apology". 

She said: "LONG TIME COMING ESSEX but thank you to the VC and the exec for undertaking this review and publishing it.

"It's findings and recommendations are an important counterbalance to the attacks on gender critical views and gender critical research."