Germaine Greer- is she being treated fairly?

The thing is that students in this country are trying to suppress free speech. I suspect that GG would not mind being called a dinosaur, or any other names, if it meant that silly students stopped supporting censorship and actually discussed the issues they're so frightened of with her.

Seems like a reasonable opinion to me. I don't know whether I agree with it. Nor do I know if I agree with the people who can't cope with GG's opinion. What I do know is that no-platforming people you disagree with is outright censorship and university students ought to know better than to be supporting censorship.

I'm afraid she did support FGM - I remember her on a radio programme justifying her views at the time. It was years ago and she may have been ignorant of the facts.

I think it was more supporting their right to do it.Their custom,their culture.

That's what I said - she supported it as their cultural right.

The last couple of times I've seen her on TV she seems as if she's lost the plot. Almost an embaressment.

Truly disappointed too. Surely 'free speech' goes both ways. She is right to say what she said, but universities and other associations have an equal right to react and say they would rather not spend a lot of their money paying for a 'speaker' (she does get paid VERY handsomely for her appearances) who holds such out-dated views.

No,she didn't support IT.She supported their right to their culture.If some people put as much energy into our own home affairs,we would all be better off.
Some of those countries do things we would call barbaric,and child abuse,the worst kind of child abuse,I might add.Maybe thats why multiculturalism is not such a good thing,will never work,in some instances.

It's so difficult to differentiate between free speech and bigotry. I think GG has a right to say what she thinks however old fashioned and out of date it is, and perhaps people should have the courtesy to listen and question her in a civilised way. On the other hand you can see that perhaps people will inevitably react badly to her views, which will in turn cause a lot of problems should she be allowed to air them. (and money!) FGM is so awful, but again I think she was defending the culture of the countries that embrace this quite frightful procedure. A bit like lecturing Saudi Arabia, or China come to that, over human rights. What gives us in the West the right to dictate to others? I don't know the answers, but I do think everyone has a right to express their opinion without fear or favour, old or new fashioned!!

meant to write -she has the right to say ...

GG has gone a step further in interviews yesterday when she claimed that Cailtlin Jenner is transistioning into be female in order to ensure she gets the same amount of attention and publicity that her daughters do on their reality show the Kardashian.

I have never been a big fan of GG but she has always courted controversy and expressed views many of seem as either extreme or plain rude but -I defend her right to free speech. I feel quite sure that the university campus's where there are petitions to stop her being a visiting speaker have had some equally controversial speakers. I'm genuinely perplexed at the fuss, unless by questioning transgender in the way GG is somehow threatens the rights of other so called minority groups, lesbian, gay, bisexual etc etc.

This issue demonstrates that we do not really have free speech in this country.

I agree with GG on her views on transgender.

There's a whole lot more to being a woman than body shape.

She is not being stopped from speaking freely, it's the choice of the university not to have her speak in their building

Yes Anniebach, no argument with that but my point was that universities should surely be places where freedom of speech is encouraged. Intelligent and wide debates, not petitioning to stop a well known feminist academic from speaking. As I said, I've never been a huge fan of Greer but surely campaigning to stop her speaking at a university is a retrograde step.

I think so Iam, my elder granddaughter is in Cardiff University, she wanted to hear Greer, some curiosity about the thoughts of a feminist even older than her granny !

Yes, imagine that Annie, a feminist even older than her granny. I'm genuinely rather shocked that university students are taking this line. Disagree with GG by all means but go along, hear her speak and engage in a dialogue. It feels slightly Nazi to me to attempt to ban someone like GG. Or even like the dreadful Chinese government's treatment of Wei Wei, imprisoned for saying things they don't like.
GG hasn't broken any of our laws, so far as I'm aware so let her speak.