Sheffield Hallam University in the UK has raised some eyebrows. In response, they have chosen to suppress the release of one of their most important research undertakings—a report led by Professor Laura Murphy, which examines forced labor allegations against Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. Escalating pressure from Chinese authorities resulted in the move. This has led to fears over the erosion of academic freedom and the ability of UK universities to resist malign foreign interference.
We hoped for the opportunity to explore evidence of forced labor practices targeting Uyghur Muslims. Further complicating the outlook, it was initially planned on being finished by late 2024. However, China has increasingly sought to suppress such inquiries, as highlighted by the university’s experiences since August 2022 when it blocked access to Sheffield Hallam’s websites. This limitation impeded the State University’s capacity to recruit potential Chinese students—an essential population within international education.
In an internal email in July 2024, Sheffield Hallam officials acknowledged that criticism from China was growing. Most importantly, they noted that the pressure had increased exponentially in the last two years. As of May 2024, authorities were already warning about the state of play in Beijing, with one commenting that, “Things in Beijing have begun to start.” This phrase became the theme throughout internal communications, reminding the community that the university was proactively addressing the geopolitical landscape that had intruded upon its operations.
The effect of this pressure was most acutely represented in the university’s enrollment numbers. The dramatic drop due mainly to the continued impact of the situation, only 73 Chinese students registered for the 2024/25 academic year. A spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam commented, “The situation has undoubtedly had a negative impact on recruitment in 23/24, with anticipated further decline in 24/25.”
This evolving crisis was compounded as the university found itself under fire from all sides. Baroness Helena Kennedy KC warned of the vulnerability of UK universities to Chinese influence. She warned of the chilling effect that this trend poses to academic freedom and intellectual discourse on college campuses.
Extraordinary internal documents leaked to Sheffield Hallam exposed a damaging story about the university’s robust defense of its relationships with Beijing. An internal “risk summary” dated December 9, 2024, detailed that “three officers of the National Security Service” had been involved in discussions about the university’s research activities. The cumulative effect of these communications was intimidating. They specifically called for an end to any research and academic activities connected to Xinjiang.
Despite these challenges, Sheffield Hallam University has now publicly apologized to Professor Murphy and has indicated that she may resume her work. The university’s spokesperson emphasized that “for the avoidance of doubt, the decision was not based on commercial interests in China.” They also specified that China does not rank as a major source of international students for the university.
The Chinese Embassy in London has countered by asserting that the Helena Kennedy Centre at Sheffield Hallam University has released numerous flawed reports on Xinjiang. As evidence, they asserted that some of these report’s authors had received grants from US government agencies. This ongoing funding should make anyone question their credibility and motivations.
“While presenting itself as an academic body, the Centre has in practice acted as a vehicle for politicised and disinformation-driven narratives deployed by anti-China forces.” – The Chinese Embassy in London
As allegations of forced labor continue to pour in from around the world, the response from states, companies, and NGOs so far has been mixed. Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, expressed grave concern over Sheffield Hallam’s actions: “It is incredibly worrying that Sheffield Hallam appears to have attempted to silence its own professor on behalf of a foreign government.”
The situation around our colleagues at Sheffield Hallam University exemplifies a troubling nexus between scholarship and global geopolitics. Yet the institution’s struggle highlights national conversations about academic freedom in an era of growing foreign government malign influence on our nation’s universities.
