71 Shares Anne Corbett . They live or die by their commitment to ethical standards in research, and their mission to ensure that students in the course of their studies learn to think critically about challenging ideas. Yet despite their achievements during the pandemic, universities are currently under attack by governments in many parts of Europe for allegedly embracing ideologies and restricting free speech. How might European higher education platforms help take the heat out of these polarising issues? Academic freedom is in the news and not just in Britain. At least four governments across Europe have claimed they need to protect those academics who assert they are a persecuted minority within universities. These developments signal a heating up of the culture wars.