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UoB invite speaker described as an ‘enthusiastic racist’ to give a talk on campus

The speaker will be discussing ‘the existential plight of white majorities’


A guest speaker, once described as an"enthusiastic racist", is due to give a talk at Bristol University tomorrow discussing "whiteshift".

The event description shows Eric Kaufmann will be discussing how the "current upsurge of right-wing populism in the West stems from the existential plight of white majorities in an age of large-scale North-South migration."

A Bristol Uni law lecturer has called the invitation an "irresponsible decision".

Kaufmann was previously described as "an enthusiastic racist" on Twitter, after posting a Black Lives Matter image which included a herd of black cows.

In response to the claims, Kaufmann told The Bristol Tab: "I think this is a ridiculous claim. I’m a mixed race (Jewish-Chinese-Latino) person who wrote a book about large-scale race mixing and has been attacked by the far right for doing so.

"The cows photo was a non-political Canadian prairie joke making the rounds about the incongruity of a BLM protest in rural Saskatchewan several years ago. Jokes function via incongruous juxtaposition.

"I didn’t notice it might be interpreted in racist terms and, realising this could be the case, have since deleted it and apologised officially via my institution."

Concerns are still being raised over Kaufmann's seminar tomorrow, with Manoj Dias-Abey, a Law lecturer at Bristol, tweeting that it was an "irresponsible decision by @SPAISBristol's Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship to invite Eric Kaufmann, prominent defender of 'white ethno-traditionalism', to give a talk."

In response to the concerns over Kaufmann, a university spokesperson said: “The University of Bristol is fully committed to freedom of speech and to the rights of all our students and staff to discuss difficult and sensitive topics, and to being a place where all feel safe, welcomed and respected, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability or social background.

“We are aware of concerns raised about Professor Kaufmann’s research seminar, organised and hosted by the University’s Centre for Ethnicity and Citizenship.

"We acknowledge that the views made by Professor Kaufmann, an academic from Birkbeck College, could be considered controversial, but we expect them to be discussed and debated in a measured way within the boundaries of an appropriately organised academic event.

"The event organisers have followed all appropriate procedures and safety assessments.

“Intellectual freedom is fundamental to our mission and values. Our freedom of speech policy underlines the vital importance of our right, as members of a free and democratic society, to speak openly without fear of censorship or limitation, provided that this right is exercised responsibly, within the law, and with respect for others who may have differing views.”