Amnesty debate liberty and security

On Tuesday the Ramphal Building played host to a debate organised by Warwick Amnesty, in an effort to draw attention to liberty and security in a post-9/11 world.

The event was held as part of Warwick Amnesty’s annual Protect the Human Week, with the panellists including prominent Conservative Party politician and former Warwick student David Davis MP, Robin Simcox from the Centre for Social Cohesion and Ghaffar Hussain of the Quilliam Foundation.

“I felt the panellists were very interesting and that it was a good academic debate,” said event organiser and member of Warwick Amnesty Jen Mcpherson. “I thought David Davis came across as extremely passionate about the issues of civil liberties, and having attended Warwick University himself, I feel that he has the ability to enthuse students at here to take action over issues that are important to them, be it the erosion of civil liberties or tuition fees.

“It was also good to have Robin Simcox as a representative for a think tank with neoconservative leanings, while Ghaffar Hussein was great for his expertise on Muslim Britain, so overall I think we achieved a spectrum of views,” she added.

The debate was received positively amongst some attendees. “Events like these ensure that politicians and think tanks can engage with students on an issue which is incredibly important in our current ‘War on Terror’ climate” said first-year History and Politics student Tom Hatton, adding “the debate was robust, honest and comprehensive.”

However, some students were critical of the event. First-year Philosophy student Sebastian Emerson said: “I don’t think the issues were debated as much as they could have been, especially as there wasn’t much disagreement between the panellists. I also think it could have been better advertised, as the room was less than half full.”

On the low turnout, McPherson said: “I’m happy with the attendance given that it was held in such a large room, while the issues were attracting students across all disciplines, which is very encouraging for Warwick as a whole. I also thought the questions from the audience were very interesting, in particular about issues such as Muslim radicalisation on university campuses, a subject that is close to many students’ hearts.”

McPherson also emphasised the significance of both the debate and Protect the Human Week in promoting liberal values, human rights and civil liberties, and expressed hope that these would galvanise student opinion.

“The week is important because there are so many people around the world who are oppressed, be it through the death penalty, or through draconian anti-terror legislation such as that introduced by the UK government in the past ten years.”

“I think these events are very effective as debate provokes more debate, and we should discuss these issues out in the open.” said McPherson. “This is something that Warwick Amnesty will continue in the future,” she concluded.