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Category: Legal (Page 1 of 173)

The Office for Students vs the University of Sussex. Part Four, Lessons from Conchita Wurst – Julian Petley

Critics of the three-step process laid out in RA24 argue that the proportionality test needs to inform each step and not just the final one. Such critics include Wonkhe, Professor Naomi-Waltham Smith of Oxford University and James Murray, legal director at Doyle Clayton solicitors. In order to illustrate why this is necessary in order to comply fully with the HRA they draw on a recent case occasioned by the Austrian drag artist Conchita Wurst winning the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. Continue reading

The Office for Students vs the University of Sussex. Part Three, Free Speech Absolutism – Julian Petley

England's 'free speech tsar' named in announcement to one ...

Given the manner in which the OfS conceived of and carried out its duties in relation to Sussex’s conditions of registration (E1), it is perhaps unsurprising that it reached the Final Decision that it did. However, this does not augur well for how it is going to conceive of and carry out its duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act. Continue reading

Law and Media Round Up – 18 May 2026

On Saturday 16 May 2026, two separate protests took place in central London – one pro-Palestine demonstration a day after Nakba Day, and the other, a far-right rally staged by Tommy Robinson. Police deployed 4,000 officers, including reinforcements from ⁠outside the Capital. A total of 43 arrests were made at the Unite the Kingdom and Nakba Day protests: 20 linked with the former and 12 associated with the latter. Continue reading

Law and Media Round Up – 11 May 2026 [Updated]

Meta has launched a legal challenge against Ofcom over the fees and fines regime it is enforcing under the Online Safety Act. This is the first major challenge to the enforcement architecture of the landmark legislation. Meta claims that Ofcom’s methodology for calculating the charges is flawed and should not be based on a company’s global revenue, but instead UK only revenues. Continue reading

Law and Media Round Up – 4 May 2026

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated that he believes it may be appropriate to police chants at pro-Palestine marches or stop some protests altogether in the wake of the Golders Green terror attack, which targeted two Jewish men. Starmer told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he is concerned about the “repeat nature” and “cumulative effects” of the protests. Continue reading

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