Polish academics have raised fears about government moves to create a committee to rule on alleged ¡°freedom of speech¡± violations in universities, highlighting the involvement of a group of ultra-conservative Catholic lawyers in the proposed legislative changes.

Ordo Iuris, which??as defending the Polish constitution against ¡°radical ideologies that aggressively question the existing social order¡±, said the ruling Law and Justice party¡¯s amendments to the controversial 2018 higher education law, to introduce clauses to protect freedom of speech in universities and to create a new committee to rule on alleged breaches, were ¡°based on the draft¡± it submitted.

The proposed law change follows a high-profile free speech controversy at the University of Silesia in Katowice, where students complained that an academic had expressed homophobic and anti-abortion views during lectures.

?ukasz Bernaci¨½ski, a member of Ordo Iuris who is studying for a PhD in law at the University of ?¨®»å?, said the organisation had published a report in January describing key ¡°violations¡± of free speech in Polish universities in recent years. Ordo Iuris, he added, ¡°drafted a bill¡± that it presented to the minister of science and higher education, Jaros?aw Gowin, a former university rector who is also the deputy prime minister.

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¡°The project met with great interest, so the ministry decided to start work on changing the law,¡± Mr Bernaci¨½ski continued. ¡°Currently, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education has drafted a bill that is based on the draft submitted by Ordo Iuris Institute.¡±

The Silesia controversy had ¡°a direct impact¡± on Ordo Iuris¡¯ interest in the issue, he said. Students had been ¡°outraged at the Christian concept of the family, taught based on scientific foundations and research¡±, he said.

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¡°This means that there has been a dangerous precedent that may prohibit universities from presenting research on specific phenomena and prevent academic debate on these topics,¡± Mr Bernaci¨½ski said. The new committee on free speech ¡°would issue non-binding recommendations to university authorities¡±, he added.

A ministry spokesman said Ordo Iuris ¡°did not participate in the preparation of the project¡±, but rather was ¡°one of many organisations and institutions¡­invited to participate during the open public consultation phase¡±.

Jaros?aw P?uciennik, professor of the humanities, cultural studies and religion, and former pro vice-chancellor for education at the University of??¨®»å?, said committee members would be ¡°like disciplinary judges who will introduce a lot of stress on academics, who will be afraid of dealing with many issues because they will be afraid of losing their jobs¡±.

He added: ¡°It¡¯s a philosophy which can be described in two words: discipline and punish.¡±

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Professor P?uciennik feared the proposed law was a way to ¡°allow expressions of views in academia¡±, potentially providing a platform in universities for those in the Catholic Church who campaign for a total ban on abortion, or for climate change deniers.

Ordo Iuris was ¡°very radical¡± and ¡°very proud of influencing people in Poland¡±, and saw academia as a ¡°liberal, leftist¡± bastion, Professor P?uciennik said.

The ministry¡¯s spokesman said the proposed law change ¡°addresses many situations that indicate the need for intervention to protect academic freedom, including freedom of expression when teaching, research or a debate open to various scientific arguments is at risk¡±.

He said the ministry was ¡°fully aware¡± of the concerns of some academics. ¡°The representative bodies of the Polish academic community are actively involved in a dialogue with the ministry; we [are] all working constructively towards formulating an optimal legal framework,¡± he added.

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john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com