Oxford Union Debate Cancelled by the Establishment

It is practically impossible to debate the topic of Islam in Britain. In Episode 4 of the Next Crusade, we issue a warning to America.

Since my original debate at the Oxford Union in 2023, when I debated against the motion on “This House Supports Same-Sex Marriage in Church,” I have been invited back but have not been able to attend for one reason or another. Most recently, because the incoming President, George Abaraonye, a University of Oxford DEI admission, celebrated the death of my friend Charlie Kirk.

I cannot imagine many things more genuinely offensive than celebrating the death of a man, but this was doubly gross considering young Abaraonye had met with and debated with Charlie in the past. The cold heart of a scruffy liberal.

This was obviously not something I could endorse or condone, but thankfully, he was ousted from the Oxford Union. So, when I was re-invited earlier this year, I took more time to seriously consider the invitation. When I heard my friends and fellow patriots Laurence Fox and Tommy Robinson were also joining the team, my arm was twisted. We would be debating, “This House believes the West is Right to be Suspicious of Islam.” This time we were on the side of the house. We were still expecting a hostile audience, and I was still expecting us to be massively outvoted - although Laurence and Tommy seemed more optimistic of our chances - but it would be fun nonetheless, and an important topic for us to add our voices to. So, I booked my tickets back home to Blighty and arranged a hotel in Oxford, all at my own expense, I might add, only to be told the event was cancelled.

This will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been keeping tabs on British politics. Our Government - both Labour and the Conservatives consecutively - have been pushing for ‘Islamophobia’ laws for some time now, which essentially amounts to Islamic blasphemy laws. Islam is gradually taking over our nation. I believe the population of Mohammedans is currently around 6% and growing rapidly. Liberals will use this number as some kind of defensive argument, claiming, “it’s only 6%, that’s hardly a takeover”, not realising that a critical mass is only 6.5%. Demographics are destiny, and the current projects show that by somewhere between 2050 and 2060, Britain will no longer be a majority-British country. As it stands, England is no longer a majority-Christian country, for the first time in our nation’s history. But by 2050-2060, she will be predominantly Islamic, too. Heavens forbid.

The president of the Oxford Union - a Palestinian Mohammedan and Free Speech advocate - called to let us know that Thames Valley Police were putting roadblocks in the way. Not literally, as is their job, but metaphorically, doing what they can to prevent the event from going ahead. They claimed it would cost £80,000 in fees to organise security for the evening. Laurence stepped in and offered for his organisation to pay these fees, as he is one of Britain’s most outspoken Free Speech campaigners. Clearly unhappy that their obfuscation had been unsuccessful, TVP strongly encouraged the OU to move the debate, which is traditionally held on Thursdays, to the following Monday. The OU were happy to comply. The event was back on again. Those of us coming from the US had to adjust our travel arrangements accordingly.

Then, Thames Valley Police made another attempt to thwart the event. They teamed up with Oxford City Council to put pressure on the poor students, organising what would be their biggest event in a long time. TVP and the Oxford Council said the event would have to be outright cancelled because it would be too inconvenient; they may have to reroute traffic, etc., for security reasons. Is that not their job?

The Oxford Union is the oldest debating society in the world, founded in 1823, when discussing politics and religion were prohibited at the University of Oxford. This house has a longstanding tradition of defending free speech and open debate in Britain, despite the Establishment.

It seems to me that the Establishment is terrified of what might happen. And that only highlights the importance of this particular topic of debate. People are genuinely petrified of wild Mohammedans going on a vengeful rampage, or as the legacy media would put it, “mental health issues” and/or “unclear motive”. Could asking the question “This House believes the West is Right to be Suspicious of Islam” cause us to be martyred by followers of the “religion of peace”? Surely not. Just because the infamous warmonger Mohammed spread his ideology through warfare, intimidation, subjugation, deception, and barbarism does not mean his followers necessarily would.

It could be that the Establishment is more afraid of backlash from the permanently offended Left. It may be that those who are offended on behalf of others are complaining as usual. We know protests were planned for 28th May, which would have been fine as the event had been moved to 1st June. Let them protest against an empty hall, and stop being bent by the will of the mob.

The Police Commissioner informed the president of the Oxford Union that they would have to release a statement that the event had been cancelled. She complied under pressure from her peers and higher-ups, who were worried about souring the Union’s relationship with the police and the council, which is understandable but would definitely undermine the very premise of the Union. However, upon sending a draft statement to the authorities, the president received an edited version that removed any inference that the decision was made by the police and the council. In fact, the new statement said something along the lines of the OU should not have taken on such an event in the first place, and they wanted to thank the Thames Valley Police and local Council for their support. The chutzpah! Thankfully, the current president, being an advocate of Free Speech, pushed back against this blatant bullying. The response from the Commissioner was that they were not ordering the Union to cancel the event, but were strongly advising them to do so. To which the president realised she was being manipulated rather than ordered, and so pushed back in return. Lastly, the police and council told the Union they could hold the event, but only if it was held on or around the last day of Trinity Term. Of course, this would mean no students would be available to attend, as they would have mostly gone home once their classes were wrapped up. The Establishment is playing games, trying to prevent me, Laurence Fox and Tommy Robinson from debating the critical topic of Islam and its place in Britain. It seems they have already decided the answer, that we should not be suspicious of Islam. And if we are, we must do so silently. If this cannot be debated at the Oxford Union, where can it be debated?

At one point, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg stepped in as a trustee of the Oxford Union. He joined the opposing side of the debate, arguing that we should not be suspicious of Islam, which I see as shameful for a Catholic, but admirable for a proponent of Free Speech. It was his impression that the authorities could not bully the students into submission if he - a high-profile former government minister - was involved. Unfortunately, he was as wrong on this as he has been about a great many things regarding the shape of our country lately.

In Britain, we should be able to debate all ideas. Why is this particular ideology off the table? Not to protect Islam from civil debate, but to protect us from the Mohammedan reaction to civil debate, which is generally not civil at all.

How many times have I covered stories of Christians who have been arrested for criticising Islam? Or worse, just for quoting the Bible and Mohammedans taking offence at them doing so. It is almost as if we have a two-tiered system in this so-called Christian country, where Islam has become a protected class.

Megyn Kelly has kindly offered to host the debate on her show. I am hopeful that this conversation is had publicly, and that in doing so we can encourage others in Britain to push back against the heavy-handed state censorship, Islamic blasphemy laws, and Islam itself.

Sometimes, it feels like Islam has already taken over our political class.

As it happens, we are talking about this precise problem on my Next Crusade this week, with my excellent guests Paul Weston and Brenna Morella discussing how Islam took over Britain, and how it is trying to do the same in America.

The Next Crusade - Episode Four:

• Paul Weston on the apparently successful Islamic takeover of Britain.

• Breanna Morello on the attempted Islamic takeover of Texas.

Not to mention my upcoming book will be on this very topic: The Silent Jihad.

Be sure to return to CalvinRobinson.com every Friday for a roundup of the latest episodes of my Common Sense Crusade and the Next Crusade.

If you’d like to catch them the moment they are released, tune in to my YouTube channel live on Wednesdays for my Common Sense Crusade, and Thursdays over at NXR Studios for The Next Crusade.

Every day, here on Substack, I share the Daily Lives of the Saints.

My Common Sense Crusade is on pause while I am in Britain for the debate that is now not happening, but the Next Crusade and Daily Lives of the Saints continue as normal.

Thank you for reading, watching, and subscribing! God bless you.