Overview
- Professor Alice Sullivan has lodged complaints with the University of Bristol and the Office for Students and says she is prepared to sue under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
- Sullivan alleges protesters impeded access, set off fire alarms, banged on windows and created noise that forced a mid-event change of venue, and says some would‑be attendees stayed away due to intimidation.
- She also claims Bristol marginalised the event by barring undergraduates, limiting promotion and choosing a site she describes as vulnerable to disruption rather than a more secure location.
- The university says the seminar proceeded safely with appropriate security, denies failing to protect free speech, condemns the protesters’ conduct and warns of disciplinary action if community members are identified.
- The OfS has declined to comment; the regulator can levy fines under the 2023 law, with the University of Sussex previously ordered to pay £585,000 after a separate investigation.