By Epigram News
Following the news last week that Professor Steven Greer was cleared of the complaint made against him by BRISOC, the law academic has spoken out on his experience of the investigation which was launched into him by the University of Bristol.
In a statement to Epigram, Professor Steven Greer said: ‘Following an almost eight-month University inquiry and review, it is a huge relief to have been completely and unreservedly exonerated with respect to the utterly groundless allegations of Islamophobia made against me by the University of Bristol Islamic Society (BRISOC). This decision, originally reached at the end of July, was unanimously confirmed by a University review panel on 8 October 2021.
‘Nevertheless, BRISOC’s life-threatening social media campaign, which began in February, not only continues unabated, but was re-energised in August with the sharing, on their Instagram page, of fresh and even more scurrilous falsehoods.
‘While the University's statement of 8 October announces my complete and unequivocal exoneration, it simultaneously undermines it in the following ways.
‘Recognising "BRISOC’s concerns" is utterly incompatible with the result of the inquiry and review which found these to be totally without foundation.
‘BRISOC has never sought to "air differing views constructively". On the contrary, they have consistently resisted constructive engagement in favour of the pursuit of a vicious social media campaign which both sought my dismissal and cynically put my life at risk.
‘I did not breach confidentiality by leaking the result of the University’s inquiry to the Mail on Sunday on 12 September 2021. There is no duty of confidentiality regarding information already in the public domain. BRISOC broke confidentiality in February (with respect to their original formal complaint) and in August (with respect to the outcome of the inquiry)... a matter currently being investigated by the police. By contrast, I was perfectly legally entitled to override any duty of confidentiality with respect to the outcome of the inquiry in order to protect myself from harm.
‘While acknowledging that I have been subject to ‘abuse’, the University fails to point out that this has been, and continues to be, at the hands of BRISOC and that, in spite of repeated pleas, the University itself has still done nothing to stop it.
‘To suggest that it was necessary to restructure the degree unit at the heart of BRISOC’s baseless allegations, in order to be ‘respectful of the sensitivities of students on the course’, is totally at variance with the result of the official inquiry and review. It is also grossly defamatory in so far as it implies that there was any disrespect hitherto.
‘The modification of the syllabus in question... also calls the University’s commitment to academic freedom into question.’
BREAKING: The University of Bristol has announced that ‘the process of investigating a formal complaint made by the University of Bristol Islamic Society (BRISOC) against one of our Law academics, Professor Steven Greer, has concluded.’
— Epigram (@EpigramPaper) October 8, 2021
Greer continued by saying: ‘The University of Bristol must immediately put a stop to BRISOC’s ongoing social media campaign and explain why it has not done so sooner or face the legal consequences.’
‘BRISOC must also now remove all defamatory material relating to the complaint against me from all relevant sites and publicly issue a retraction plus an apology or face the legal consequences’, he finished.
BRISOC and Bristol Students’ Union have been approached for comment by Epigram.
Featured Image: Epigram / Megan Ip
The University of Bristol's full statement can be found HERE
