we'll be trying to get some answers from malta's deputy prime minister. and we have viewsnight. hello. people have long argued about the boundaries of free speech: how insensitive or offensive you should be allowed to be. but in universities right now, that old argument has taken on a new life. a generation of students are grappling with what is acceptable to say on campus, and what is not. some are trying to stop certain views being expressed. just as crucially, they are extending the concept of offensiveness. things that might have been disagreeable, are now unsayable — particularly where they touch identity politics and the feelings of minority groups. a whole new vocabulary has been invented — from trigger warnings to safe spaces. "no platforming" is now a verb.

for some, this is civil progress — a demonstration of respect for minorities and their inclusion. for others, it is at best, pc gone mad. or at worst, a new creed of liberal authoritarianism. we'll discuss the implications in a few minutes, but first katie razzall reports on the arguments over who can say what at university. i'm kat and i use "she" or "they" pronouns. i think it's hard to explain what micro—aggression is. a safe space is not necessarily a physical space. sculpted by the people it's meant to be for. to older generations it's a whole new language. but, on campus, terms like "no platforming", "safe spaces", "micro—aggressions" and "preferred pronouns" are increasingly the norm. i'm clara and i use "she", "her", "her" pronouns. i'm molly and use "she", "her" pronouns as well. new terms are one thing but those

that use them are accused by critics of an assault on free speech. the latest spat involves the former labour politician linda bellos, a lesbian activist and feminist. she was "no platformed" recently by the beard society, the gender and feminism group at peterhouse college, cambridge. her invitation to speak was revoked when she told them she would be questioning some trans politics. they wrote to say they would uninvite me. what was the reason given? that it would offend or upset some members. boy! forgive me. i don't want to be rude but, as a black woman growing up in britain from 1950, when i was one of 30,000, being a bit upset was the least of my problems. these days though, linda bellos, like most famously germaine greer, is labelled a terf —

a trans exclusionary radical feminist. some people — men — choose to identify as women. i understand but don't let them suggest that they are the same as those of us who are physically and physiologically female — women. that is anathema to activists. the beard society didn't want to appear in this report but told bellos they had to put student welfare first. at this cambridge student newspaper, would—be contributors mainly opt to write in favour of the new radicalism and many are supportive of so—called "no platforming." i think to "no platform" someone is not the same as to censor them because it's not as if they're being put in prison or taken out of the public domain in any way. i think really it's a case more of like students wanting to be considerate of each other. making sure that everyone feels as welcome and that our spaces — our public spaces — whether in a lecture or anywhere

else, are inclusive as possible. a university should be a safe space. but it should be safe kind of physically. if it's going to be safe in relation to ideas, this is some kind of a fascist world. they think that what i might say will be offensive to them, therefore i can't say anything. this is absolutely blasted mad. it's a new and evolving world, which puts the vulnerable at its centre. the cambridge english department's lecture timetable now contains so—called trigger warnings to flag up material that might be deemed upsetting. an advanced warning, that a lecture about literary violence, for example, will include discussion of sexual violence and assault in shakespeare's titus andromeda and other works. for supporters and there are plenty, it's a sensible idea. but... in speaking to academics here at cambridge, i have picked up some disquiet in some quarters about where this is all heading. 0ne told me, our duty as educators

is to prepare our students for the world, not protect them for three years. one said, trigger warnings appeared on their lecture timetable without any discussion. another academic told me they had self censored, deciding for example not to teach a particular text in case it caused offence to some students. cambridge university told newsnight the english faculty's trigger warnings aren't departmental policy. instead they're at a lecturer‘s discretion. supporters say this isn't another form of censorship, it's just about flagging up a sensitive issue ahead of discussion. that is the excuse for trigger warnings. what happens is, once you get a few trigger warnings, lecturers will stop presenting anything that is controversial. so, trigger warnings do not discuss this. they do not discuss the sort of issue. so, gradually, there is no critical discussion. the issue around trans rights

is at the forefront of a broader debate concerning minority rights and free speech. these students are members of oxford university's lgbtq+ society. essentially, where we're coming from with "safe spaces" and talking about "micro—rations" and "trigger warnings", we're essentially trying to make the world a little bit better and more welcoming to people who are minorities. a person's identity and who they are is never up for debate — ever. people like germaine greer made good progress forfeminism but her feminism has stopped at a point where it's not willing to accept trans women are women and that's the problem. is it possible for people to be unsafe just because people expand views they find offensive? fortunately, the mental health issues of people who are lgbt are well documented. the suicide rates are so much higher than they are for the standard population.

for trans people, we're talking nearly one in two people has a very serious go at suicide. there is a real effect here. campus politics don't just focus on trans rights. oxford's also hosted roads must fall, the campaign to decolonise education. and others are picking up the baton. in big picture terms, that means demanding action on what majority students like these at london's ucl see as their university's colonial past. but it also means not putting up with so—called micro—aggressions. any acts of casual racism — espeically casual racism that contributes into the... of black people as a whole. things such as your hair looks different or, can i touch it? it's our right as a student, as a human being, as a black person, to be respected on campus. to not have to deal with these micro—aggressions everyday around our appearance. university is about learning new ideas, freethinking,

exploring and it's becoming, some people say, university is becoming more about how students feel. people say that is not what university should be about. i would have to completely disagree. the reason people... i pay 9.25k a year. i've paid not only for my education but an experience. a social setting that is comfortable for myself, not only for the one beside me but everyone. it should be inclusive. especially with what is going on in america. we are hyperaware of what's going on there with essentially a very radical individual being elected as essentially the leader of the free world. and so a lot of us become emboldened by the fact that we don't want that to happen here. and so it pushes us to pursue our ideas of equality even further.

is this just the latest front in progressive student politics or is the very idea of university under threat? joining me now isjournalist paris lees, nick hillman the director of the higher education policy institute, comedian kate smurthwaite and joshua jackson a student at queens college cambridge. good evening to you all. paris, as a trans woman, would you have any objection to linda who we saw in nappies coming to talk at a university or college? i do not want to bash linda, i quite like, she bought me a first—class rail ticket when we were travelling on the same train a year ago. i think what she said is crass and offensive to be honest, but i think these students are getting carried away and i think everyone is making a big fuss and getting triggered over trigger warnings. let me push you, because clearly you would not approve of the university inviting someone who was violently anti—trans because saying that they should not

exist or anything like that, where would you draw the line? you would certainly allow people who disagree with you on trans issues to come in, you recognise the people who disagree with you are allowed to come and speak or should be allowed to speak. it depends what they disagree on. if we are talking about how to keep litter down or keep the trains running on time but if your opinion is trans women are rapists or perverts or you are not who you say you are or gay people are threat to children, that is not really an opinion, that is abuse. i draw the line at hate speech. jermaine gresham has a history of implying that trans women are sexual predators which i think is inflammatory, hate speech and i think it is beyond the pale and i think it is good that people are pushing back against this. there have always been things that people feel they cannot say,

50 years ago people did not feel that they could say they were gay. 20 years ago, i did not feel i could express myself and say i was trans. we are redrawing the boundaries. germaine greer, no platforming, where would you draw the line? it would be closer to where the law is and i would also think about the intellectual realm of the university differently. there should be something in the lecture hall that is sometimes unsafe. what universities are doing to a certain degree, of taking people apart intellectually and putting them together again because going to university is part of a really important transition in your life and i think the law is drawn in a sensible place, there are however, it is true, that if you ask trans students, lesbian and gay students, some students from black

and minority students, they find life tougher on campus and those problems, they are not by and large happening in the classroom, there are other things going on in their lives and a university which means they have not always got the support they want. that is different to the intellectual challenge of what goes on in universities. josh, as a cambridge student, where we knew george the line? students have a lot going on in their lives. there has been a phenomenon on social media where people have been posting their experiences of sexual assault. some women are brave enough to come forward with the harvey weinstein investigations. why we talk about safe spaces is to make it easier for people to have these discussions are they feel like they don't have to be silent and keep everything inside out of fearful

being dismissed or radical. it is up to us to draw the line where we think it is necessary. a question, and the points have been well made. the question is, sometimes if you draw a line too close to where you are, you just go to extremes, we basically push the line into an unreasonable place. kate, you are a comedian. tell us about your december take in to perform at goldsmiths college? —— disinvitation. i had performed there every year. it was routine to tour my solo show. the day before they said there might be a protest, so we are going to cancel. what are they going to protest? initially they were not clear. it is ridiculous. none of the subjects they were suggesting they might be upset about were

mentioned in my show. i was not going to talk about these issues was never going to talk about picking up litter let's just ask what the opinions are about that. also they were unwilling to give me the details. you might breach our safe space policy. it is also ridiculous. it was about your views on prostitution differing from the university and the student union. that is what i heard and later i heard it was about islam. i've heard both cases made. they said i could not be allowed on campus because i had in the past been critical about the sex industry. i have only ever been critical... i am also critical of the oil industry, the food industry, the textile industry. then when it came to islam, i had criticised those countries where veiling is compulsory

for women, they said that might be offensive to people who choose to wear the veil. no, to force people to do one thing or another is offensive to everyone and i am against it. i am interested to hear how you respond to that. it is a little bit like the pot calling the kettle black. didn't you put your name to a campaign to have comedians who make rape jokes banned from comedy gigs in 2012? you are all for this thing except when it is for you. i think you could go and speak at goldsmiths tomorrow. jermaine greer had a load of people who want to come and see her. there was a campaign against her and the talk went ahead. not many people were booked into your show. that is a nasty line.

it is not ok to accuse me of things that are not true. may i finish my sentence? i will walk out of the studio if i cannot. the thing about ticket sales was being made up after the event by the goldsmiths student union. the event was supposed to be free. they set up a system where people from outside who wanted to come even though they were not part of the invited crowd could come. after the event they claimed because only a few had signed up that it was not a popular event. actually, i screenshot the whole conversation, they said to me they were expecting between 50 and 100 people. that is on my blog. you do think that something should be low platform. i absolutely do think those who incite violence should not be on a platform. with things like the rape joke things, what i am actually part of is a campaign that says people who programme comedy clubs book

great acts that do not do racist, sexist, misogynist, unpleasant material. let's have balanced bills. mixed bills and a range of good comedy. not sexist, homophobic rubbish. do you recognise it goes too far? there was an oxford college thing that said it did not want the christian union at the freshers fair. there are a lot of people who'd just think this is the world gone mad. it is wholly unreasonable and very bigoted. i can understand. some people are coming from a different generation, a different angle. they have been able to discuss these things. now we have to say we want to re—examine it. there was a time when people wanted to say god is unreal and people would think them crazy. with something too extreme, there are examples which personally

i may disagree with but it is about saying we are grown—up and we do not want this. it is not saying we can never have christians or muslims speak wherever. in certain spaces we draw the line at this. i want to bring nick in. we sometimes forget how very young and new undergraduate is. 18. they tend not to have thought about issues as the depth we are talking about. i think it should be part of freshers week. a conversation like this. we have polled students. they are very confused on these issues. they love free speech and they love trigger warning. they love safe spaces. a quarter of them want ukip completely banned from university campuses in a poll before the referendum. where these debates are limiting the core functions of the university, to educate

and push forward knowledge. is your worry that we end up like the united states? there are very fraught debates in the united states. most of these examples are one. when you delve down you find other angles to it. if you cannot have these debates on a university campus where you have expertise, resources, time, people who are willing to debate, frankly where can you have them except in studios like this? i would like to pick you up on a point you said. could you provide a concrete example of where this problem of trigger warnings and stuff has led to a university not be able to carry out its core work? it is like this is going to happen and the sky is going to fall in. we heard one or two academics talking about how it would change lecture banning. —— would change lecture planning. you teach the course in different ways to how you have done it

in the past. these things are quite hard to prove, if the university cannot have these debates, where else can they have it? i do worry it will have adverse consequences. it drives things underground. that is not a concrete example. universities were shocked by the referendum result. that was sometimes because these really open debates about something quite straightforward, should we be in the eu or not, was not happening on campus. when you get into more difficult territory, it happens with knobs on, so to speak. i wonder if it is a generational thing. it does feel there is a generation where the issue with freedom different from the meaning

platonic by the older generation. to be honest, i think this has been in existence all along. we use different words for it. it is fine to have that conversation. i would draw the line at insighting violence for them if you're going to have a conference about sexual assault, you don't want to invite harvey weinstein and ched evans because that is not appropriate. it is different saying you cannot have people on campus if they have ever expressed a term you find uncomfortable. there has to be a different line drawn. what is different these days is that the right wing press like to find an incident and make a big fuss about it. although i am cross about being no platformed from goldsmiths. while so students made a decision and they were trying to keep students safe. i think it was foolish but isn't that the point of being a student? make a decision, learn from it, great. you don't have to be perfect. transpeople, people of colour have some of the worst suicide rates in the country.

hearing these things can cause very adverse reactions. i need to curtail free speech of all of you right now. we have overrun our time. theresa may got a first hand reminder over dinner last night, that the eu is playing hard ball in the brexit negotiations. everybody in europe is ever so polite, they all say they want movement in the divorce negotiations, but if britain doesn't move, then nothing seems to move at all. at the moment, the whole thing is stuck on money. so why is this? it could be that the eu are only interested in cash. or maybe they want to punish us for brexit. maybe they are sticklers for procedure, and think this is the logical starting point. or maybe they want to drag the negotiations out to unnerve businesses here, in the hope they'll move jobs to the continent? in truth, they are allowed to demand what they want, but i went to brussels today to find out more about their position, by speaking to antonio tajani, the president of the european parliament.

first i asked whose job it is to make the next move, britain or the eu? we need to work a lot together. british. europeans. we need to achieve the first agreement on the three most important points. the rights of the european citizens living in the uk northern ireland and money. but we know, it's just money. exactly. we need to repeat. to hold the whole thing up. the trade relations between these two enormously important trading partners... 0ur position is very clear. we want not1 euro more, not1 euro less. you know what's happening. in britain, a lot of people are blaming the british government for the way negotiations are going but if you carry on like this, all the friends of europe...

we need to be realistic. but you're not being realistic, are you? we are realistic. the uk government is not realistic. i think we need to be very clear. we need to put the money on the table. we need our money back, as mrs thatcher said 30 years, a0 years ago. this is important for us. we want not euro more and not euro less. this is very clear for us. this will be the third point, and then it is possible to start the negotiations for the new deal. do you think we can reach the trade deal by this time next year? it won't be the detail but the basic framework. we want to know what the uk want to do, this is the problem. ok, on trade... it's not very clear. there are a lot of problems inside the european union. we are united. i don't know if there is a unity. where is the unity

in the united kingdom? there are many different positions. we're only one position. only one negotiator. let me ask you this. when it comes to the trade negotiation, is it your expectation, you 27 will sit and give us one option, a special of the day, that's all there is. like a restaurant in the former soviet union. we have one item on the menu, or will you say to us, wait, there are several things. mr barnier was showing a piece of paper yesterday to the federal parliament. we've got ee membership, eea switzerland, the ukraine type association deal, the canada deal, will we get a menu, or will bejust be told what it is? i want to be very clear. for us, trade is very important. it is important to have in the future very good relations with the uk. we want to cooperate also in trade, in policy with the uk. but before we need to

decide the framework. which is the framework? is the framework with an agreement like norway. there is a deal. which deal? it is very difficult to understand what the uk wants to do. this is the problem. what is your advice to a british company or european company in the uk? is your advice, guys, you'd better start buying some office space in amsterdam or paris, orjust wait and see whether you get this because you can't wait until march to find out that your business isn't going to work. without agreement, today, every day, a lot of european companies will leave the uk. also the americans. but you're failing to talk to us about the issues. i'm not against the uk. but, please, let us help you. by paying you another 20 billion more than we have offered.

20 billion is peanuts. it's peanuts, 20 billion. exactly. you're holding the whole thing up for that. the problem is, 50, 60. this is the real situation. when you say you're not sure the british want a deal, it is a very interesting thing to say. you're not sure if the british really want a deal. is that the british people or are you really talking about boris johnson? how much weight do you give to what borisjohnson says or philip hammond, the chancellor of the exchequer, or theresa may? what is your view of the politics in the uk? there are different positions. in the conservative party, there are different positions. this is not good for good work in the next month. we ask, please. we need the conservative decision on this. which is the line to take? for us, it's important to know. apart from brexit, is life in the eu going well?

i am looking around. an investigative journalist appears to have been murdered. assassinated. to kill as a journalist is incredible in 2017. it's incredible. we want a full investigation. i, as president, a former journalist, i want a full investigation. why to kill a journalist? probably because the journalist was close to one important point. thank you very much. nice to talk to you. the president of the european parliament. well, you saw at the end there, a glimpse of the concern in brussels at that murder in malta. daphne caruana galizia was a well known investigative journalist, a feisty and polemical critic of what she called the mafia state. she was blown up in her car yesterday afternoon and there has

been increasing shock at the sheer brazenness of that attack. she had many enemies — she'd made accusation against a long list of important figures, including the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. as a measure of how much of a thorn in the side of those in authority she was, one police sergeant made a post on facebook expressing glee at her death. he has been suspended. john sweeney is in malta for us. john, it is not a huge country, this must be having quite an impact there. well, the instant reaction has been one of shock and grief. you can see this small shrine, a number have been built around this island. it is a small country, half a million people if that. so, shock, anxiety, this kind of thing is not supposed to happen in malta or in the european union. there has not been an assassination

of a journalist here in living memory, so people here are in great shock. in terms of how the state is dealing with it, what is going on, what are the government up to? the government has said, this is a dreadful occurrence and as proof of their goodwill, they have called in the fbi. as if to say, listen, we have got clean hands, we are not scared of anyone looking into this, we are asking the fbi to come here. but friends of daphne feared that this is a pr stunt and they say, look at the evidence, look at how this government has behaved as far as the rule of law is concerned. the government has burned through for police commissioners, it is on its fifth commissioner and look at what she was saying in herjournalism. she had picked up the two senior members of the government were identified in the panama papers and she went on further

with her own journalism and said and this is disputed, that the prime minister's wife was also engaged in corruption. that is denied and everyone in the government, the prime minister, his wife, the two figure said our hands are clean, but nevertheless, she was making these allegations very forcefully, with some detail and then her life was cut short so cruelly. the government has questions to answer and for the moment, we are not hearing the answers. john, thank you very much. thank you john. i am nowjoined from malta by the deputy prime minister, chris fearne. he was appointed deputy pm

following the general election earlier this year. that election was prompted by an investigation from daphne caruana galizia. deputy prime minister, thank you forjoining us. you will agree this is a huge test for the institutions of malta, the world is watching your country, like it has not for many decades. absolutely. it is a very grave occurrence for us. it has probably been dead two most difficult days of my life as a politician, we realise this is a very grave moment, i very grave occurrence and we are taking this very seriously. your reporter reported that we have asked and received help from overseas experts in policing and experts in forensic and these are complementing a really good resource that we have in the police force and we will leave no stone unturned to solve this crime. sorry to interrupt you. can you clarify the role of the fbi

in the investigation? is the whole investigation going to be independent outside of the establishment of malta itself? no. malta is a european union country. 0ur standards of policing and justice are european standards. what happens, whenever any crime is committed and i have to say, this crime, and assassination is unprecedented in our history, this is something we are living through, moments, i doubt anyone in our country has lived through this before. what happens in any other crime, is that the forces of law and order kick in, there is a magistrate and a duty magistrate who has

assigned the case and the police are investigating. this is so unique... to interrupt again... you will know, there is not confidence in the institutions of malta to investigate this. daphne's son matthew has written on facebook, it is of little comfort for the prime minister to say he will not rest until the perpetrators are found, when he heads a government that encouraged that same impunity, he filled his office with crooks and the police with crooks and in the seals and filled the courts with crooks and incompetence, if the institutions were working, the rubinho assassination to investigate. right, of course, matthew is going through a lot of grave and we sympathise with that. what there family of daphne ca ruana galizia as for yesterday was that the magistrate, who was on roster for yesterday, they basically asked for her to be changed and that happened.

the chiefjustice asked her to abstain from this case, she abstained on her own initiative and there is a new magistrate that has been appointed by the chief justice, not the government. the investigation is being carried out why this new magistrate who happens to be a senior magistrate on the island. you asked about the fbi, we have asked overseas agencies to give us a hand on this because it is so unique, it is unprecedented and we do have a competent police force but we do not have the expertise to go into this in such detail and we have asked the fbi and we have asked our dutch colleagues to help us out and there are forensic experts on the island helping out. we have very little time, a good way of paying respect

would be to follow up some of the things that daphne ca ruana galizia was investigating, including allegations about the prime minister or his wife receiving money from azerbaijan at a time when there was a pipeline that was being planned between azerbaijan and malta. would you encourage a fuller more open investigation into all those aspects? your facts... absolutely, your facts are slightly skewed, but never mind. as soon as daphne wrote those allegations, the prime minister asked for an independent enquiry to actually investigate him and his wife. there is an investigation ongoing, daphne herself gave evidence a couple of months ago, maybe three or four months ago, gave evidence herself and the evidence is there and we await the result of that investigation. the prime minister said

if there was any trace of wrongdoing on his part or on the part of his wife, then he will resign. thank you forjoining us. thank you for having us. we've got a viewsnight for you now. tonight economist ruchir sharma on why falling populations in many countries make robots essential. that's it for tonight. just before we went on air, george saunders won the man booker prize for lincoln in the bardo, the story of how the eponymous president grieved the loss of his young son, willy. please do not misunderstand. we have been mothers, fathers, husbands for many years, men who come here that first day, accompanied by crowds so vast and sorrowful, the damage offences beyond repair, young lives diverted here, a gentle quality stripped from us

by that circumstance, who left behind husbands so tormented by the horror of those last moments, that they have never loved again. grandmothers, tolerant and frank, recipients of certain dark secrets, who by the quality of their own judging listening, run a tacit forgiveness. what i mean to say is, we have been considerable, have been loved, not lonely, not lost, not freakish, but wise, each in his or her own way, our departures cause pain. those who would love us sat upon their bed head and hands, lower their faces to table tops making animal noises, we have been loved, i say and remembering us, people would smile, briefly glad at the memory. we've got a raid in the forecast for

tomorrow, certainly some rain about at the moment. clouds have been streaming in from the south. quite dramatic pictures again today in some parts of the country. here is a weather front approaching dorset in the last few hours or so. the clouds have been streaming in from the south and this lump of cloud you can see across norway, remnants of 0phelia, the storm which swept across ireland, and affected parts of the british isles in the last day 01’ so. of the british isles in the last day or so. the raid of the british isles in the last day orso. the raid in of the british isles in the last day or so. the raid in the south initially affecting southern counties, parts of the midlands, somejust about counties, parts of the midlands, some just about moving into east anglia. 0ne some just about moving into east anglia. one or two spot the east anglia. one or two spot the east anglia and one or two dribs and drabs in the lowlands of scotland. 0ther drabs in the lowlands of scotland. other than that it is mostly dry and there is the possibility of a touch of grass frost in scotland first thing in the morning after a relatively clear night here in the far north. still a stubborn bit of cloud and rain across the lowlands

but the heavy rain in the morning will be across parts of the midlands and the south, and through the course of the morning there will be a lot of mild air drawn up from the south. morning temperatures in brighton around 15 celsius despite the overcast and damp skies. so a grey day across the south, with rain on and off at times. that could be heavy around the east midlands, in the lincolnshire as well and there will be some rain around in london as well. temperatures still will get up as well. temperatures still will get up to the high teens, so quite muqqy' up to the high teens, so quite muggy, drizzly, cloudy feel to things with a bit of brightness from time to time. there is a bit fresher across the north, around 13 degrees. thursday will start off on a cloudy but calm note. there is low pressure heading our way from the south—west, that will introduce some gales for a time to cornwall, devon in the southern counties later on thursday. 0ne southern counties later on thursday. one area of low pressure here. there is another one on the way. this is a slow mover, bringing us gusty

conditions with some rain in the north on friday. but this one we are a little bit concerned about, because some of the computer models are suggesting that this could be quite a nasty low, with severe gales blowing in. looking at all of these isobars, the track is still a little uncertain. this one looks like it will be tracking across central parts of the uk, which means that the severe gales will be blasting through southern parts of the uk. so just a little bit of advice is if you have got any plans for this weekend, bear in mind that friday night in the saturday could be pretty nasty. but that is still a long way off. let's just get through the next two or three days. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: celebrations as the so—called islamic state is driven out of raqqa, the syrian city isis once claimed as its capital. it's power politics beijing style — as china's political elite prepare to unveil their vision for the future. i'm babita sharma in london.

also in the programme. rodrigo duterte says the city of marawi has been recaptured from militants — we'll ask what that means for the philippines‘ struggle against extremists. we have a special report on the people who have risked everything to escape from north korea. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday.