Freedom of speech must comes first in Oxford Extremist Row

1.24.39pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 9th Mar 2007

As Oxford University professor, Dr David Coleman, is petitioned by students calling for his sacking due to his views on immigration and involvement with MigrationWatch and the Galton Institute, local Liberal Democrat MP, Dr Evan Harris, who is a member of the Parliamentary Human Rights Select Committee, said:

"As someone who has spent months and years campaigning against the spurious arguments perpetrated by Migration Watch and their friends, I am disappointed by this personalised campaign against an individual academic."

"The fact is that - however aberrant and offensive his views - as long as they are legal and delivered lawfully, he has every right to express them without fear of retribution from his employer. As long as he does not claim to speak on behalf of the University, he is at liberty to set out his academic background. The price of us all enjoying academic freedom and free expression is that we provide those freedoms to those with whom we disagree, and this campaign is illiberal and in making a martyr out of Prof Coleman totally counter-productive"

"The reference to eugenics in the petition based on the history of the Galton Institute is plain silly. We can not stop debate about genetics and population just because someone shouts "eugenics". I urge the petitioners to debate with or to ignore our opponents not to try to ban them"

The petition organised by Oxford Students Action for Refugees (STAR)

Petition to the University of Oxford

We the undersigned note that:

•David Coleman has been Professor of Demography at the University of Oxford since October 2002.

•Coleman is also a consultant and spokesperson for Migration Watch.

•Coleman is a member of the Eugenics Society, now called the Galton Institute.

•Coleman is acquiring a public image in the ongoing public debate about immigration, and that he is using his status as a university professor to legitimise the views and reports produced by Migration Watch.

We the undersigned believe that:

•Migration Watch masquerades as an independent non-partisan organisation, but in fact has a strong anti-immigration bias.

•Through his many media appearances Professor Coleman is bringing the university into disrepute by associating it with the views of Migration Watch.

•Immigrants contribute more than the equivalent of a Mars Bar per month to the UK, as claimed by Migration Watch in January 2007.

We the undersigned call on the University to:

•Ask Professor David Coleman to refrain from using his academic title when appearing on behalf of Migration Watch in the media.

•Consider the suitability of Coleman's continued tenure as a Professor of the University, in light of his well-known opinions and affiliations relating to immigration and eugenics.