University Reconsiders Cancellation of 'Charlie Hebdo' Conference

Queen’s University Belfast is reconsidering its decision to cancel a conference about the murders at Charlie Hebdo, The Guardian reported. Patrick Johnston, the university’s vice chancellor, said in a statement that the university has commissioned a risk assessment for the conference that will inform any decision about it. “Queen’s is, and will remain, a place where difficult issues can be discussed,” Johnston said.

Conference organizers said last week that the event was canceled due to Johnston's concerns about security risks and the reputation of Queen’s, while the university said that the conference was canceled because organizers had not completed a risk assessment (a claim that some academics at Queen’s have contested).