Students at Durham University are now threatening a strike over rent arrears following Rod Liddle’s speech

  • Durham University student threatened to withhold rent after Rod Liddle visit.
  • Following an invitation from Liddle, Professor Tim Luckhurst was suspended.
  • Professor Luckhurst branded a walkout by students during the speech ‘pathetic’










Durham student protestors threaten a rent strike after Rod Liddle visited their campus. 

After inviting Liddle (associate editor of The Spectator) to make a speech, Professor Tim Luckhurst has been expelled from his duties as principal at South College. 

But students say they want him to resign if he does not apologise for ‘platforming a bigot’ without warning them. 

They plan to withhold annual fees of £8,000 in college accommodation after claiming Liddle is ‘racist and transphobic’, which he denies. 

Protest leader Sean Hannigan, 22, said: ‘The only way that the university will listen is if it hits them financially.’ 

Durham University students staged a walkout last week during a speech by right-wing journalist Rod Liddle (pictured)

Durham University students protested Rod Liddle’s speech (pictured), last week.

Yesterday, it was revealed heads of at least 13 of Durham’s 17 colleges support them. 

Lord Wharton (chairman of the Office for Students) intervened for the first-ever time yesterday.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘As a point of principle it is important for students to engage with views and theories with which they may not agree.

‘A robust but tolerant sharing of views is an essential element of the whole experience of higher education.’

But he said that students are also entitled to free speech, which includes the right peacefully protest.

A Durham University spokesman said that it upholds ‘freedom of expression within the law’ adding: ‘We have a strong and clear policy statement and code of practice on freedom of expression.’ 

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