Michelle Donelan, the UK’s Science Secretary, has issued a public apology to Professor Kate Sang, compensating her £15,000 for unfounded accusations of sympathy with Hamas, pledging to review departmental processes.
Michelle Donelan, the UK Science Secretary, has publicly apologized for falsely accusing Professor Kate Sang of sympathizing with Hamas in a social media post. Donelan acknowledged that her accusations were unfounded and agreed to compensate Sang £15,000 using taxpayer funds. The apology was delivered amid a session with the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, where Donelan expressed regret over not addressing the issue privately and admitted to the distraction it caused from the government’s agenda.
Donelan’s initial claims against Prof. Sang on X (formerly Twitter) were later retracted after she admitted that the professor’s comments were taken out of context. She emphasized her respect for academic freedom of speech and confirmed that her actions were aimed at ensuring due diligence rather than being politically motivated. Furthermore, Donelan stated that there was no surveillance of academics, insisting that the initial alert about the tweet came from an official within her department.
Reflecting on the incident, Donelan announced that there would be an internal review of processes within her department to avoid similar situations in the future. She highlighted the need for transparency and accountability while reaffirming her commitment to upholding academic freedom of speech. The controversy stemmed from misinterpretations regarding Prof. Sang’s views amidst rising tensions following a Hamas attack. Donelan stressed the importance of learning from this episode to prevent its recurrence.