The dangers of silence

ACT leader David Seymour has taken the chance to spruik his views on freedom of speech, at a public meeting in Palmerston North.

Speaking to about 50 people at the Conference and Function Centre on Tuesday night, Seymour, after making a short campaign speech, was asked about Massey University’s decision to last year take down posters put up by students to protest growing restrictions on freedom in Hong Kong.

First-time voter and Massey University student Cay Chan raised the point, after posters supporting the Hong Kong protests were removed from the Palmerston North campus in October.

Chan said many students were still upset and were worried about the consequences of openly advocating political views on campus.

Seymour said it was a major issue in New Zealand and he had written a bill that would cut government funding to universities that did not take appropriate steps to protect and foster freedom of speech.

A financial penalty for being anti free speech is probably the only thing that can incentivise them to be pro free speech.

Some of them receive millions from the Chinese Government, so it is not surprising they go out of their way to placate their funders.