College students hire safe space marshals to police events
Students at one of the country’s top universities are paying £12 an hour for “safe space marshals” to patrol events and ensure that speakers do not offend audiences with their views.
Marshals are required to attend events at King’s College London students’ union that are judged to be a risk to safe space.
Their duties include reminding chairmen of their safe space obligations. This could include asking someone to be quiet or leave if their behavior is "offensive or prejudiced".
On Wednesday five safe space marshals monitored a meeting hosted by the university’s Conservative Association and attended by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory MP who is opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage.
Greg Hall, a third-year history student, said he mistook the marshals for security guards as they were all men dressed in black. He told The Times: “Jacob Rees-Mogg addressed the issue straightaway and said he thought safe spaces were counter to free discussion.”
“I feel we are subsidizing intolerance,” Mr Hall, 20, said.
The university said it was “committed to academic freedom and free, peaceful and respectful dialogue where people have conflicting views”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/king-s-college-students-hire-safe-space-marshals-to-police-events-37nmfhvvs?shareToken=1ecdc59450b36546bae2a9d5e07e0220