Israel Conference veto in UCC is the wrong decision

The decision by University College Cork to veto a conference to debate the legitimacy of the state of Israel is unfortunate.

Any attempt to deny the idea of free speech, a cornerstone of democracy, is very unwelcome, as Europe-wide protests after the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris showed.

The subject matter is not the issue but the idea that any topic, no matter how divisive or distasteful can be discussed, debated, and challenged openly must prevail. That this decision was reached by a university — a place of learning — makes it even more difficult to understand, much less support.