Graham Linehan claims Oxford Union appearance to debate cancel culture was ‘cancelled’

Students at the university’s LBGTQ campaign said Linehan’s invitation showed ‘commitment to causing controversy rather than encouraging debate’

Graham Linehan has reportedly been “cancelled” from debating the subject of cancel culture at the Oxford Union.

The Father Ted creator, who has repeatedly attracted controversy for posting transphobic comments online, was earlier this month asked to speak at the University of Oxford’s Union on the topic: “This house would cancel cancel culture,” which the Union posed was “the boycott of the 21st century”.

However, Linehan’s original invitation was reportedly rescinded last Wednesday (16 December), with the Union claiming that the event could not go ahead due to “logistical difficulties’,  but that they “very much hope to accommodate him in the future”.

The writer, who was permanently suspended from Twitter in June, wrote in a since-deleted post on his private forum: “Wow, what an opportunity to really get to grips with cancel culture and what it means to our society.

“I’d better start thinking about the line I’m going to take, and give a few examples of oh wait no it’s been cancelled.”

The Independent has contacted the Oxford Union for comment.

In the Union’s initial letter to Linehan, the president wrote that “it would be a great privilege were you to accept this invitation” and “join us in debate and continue this fine tradition”.

The news of the Irish writer’s appearance and subsequent cancellation was criticised by the Oxford Student Union LBGTQ Campaign, who told Cherwell: “These events are an inevitable result of the Union’s commitment to causing controversy rather than encouraging debate.

“As a campaign, we are far more concerned by the original invitation as a testament to the very real and ongoing culture of transphobia at this university.”

Linehan is a vocal critic of the trans rights movement and, in 2018, was given a verbal warning by the police after being sued for harassment by activist Stephanie Hayden.

Earlier this year, he criticised Channel 4 for refusing to “reinstate” a transphobic episode of The IT Crowd to stream on their website, saying that its removal was “an attack on my right to freedom of speech”.