More Extremism at Leeds University

The Telegraph is reporting that Leeds University has cancelled a speech by Matthias Küntzel entitled, "Hitler's Legacy: Islamic Anti-semitism in the Middle East" citing security concerns. The article says:

In a statement yesterday, two academics in the Leeds German department, which had organised the event, claimed the university had bowed "to Muslim protests".

That statement added:

The reason the university gives for the cancellation of the talk and seminars by Dr Küntzel are security concerns. 'These concerns are founded on emails received by the office of the Vice Chancellor. The sudden cancellation is a sell-out of academic freedom, especially freedom of speech, at the University of Leeds.

Dr Küntzel is quoted as saying, "My impression was that they wanted to avoid the issue in order to keep the situation calm. My feeling is that this is a kind of censorship."

He also said the contents of emails described to him did not overtly threaten violence but "they were very, very strongly worded''.

So, within one week we have an attempt to prevent a member of the Israeli embassy from speaking on the grounds that Israel is a "racist, illegal state" and now we have the University bowing to Muslim pressure to stop someone suggesting that some people in the Islamic world are anti-Semitic. And all brought to you by the university who defended a motion (passed by the student union) to prevent the Jewish Society from making legitimate complaints. A bastion of intellectual enlightenment or a haven for radical Islamic extremism?