The Cambridge Union Society has decided to hold a referendum of its entire membership on the question of hosting Julian Assange.

The Union’s decision to hold the plebiscite over the appearance of the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wikileaks follows several days of deliberation by the Voting Members of the Cambridge Union, and the subsequent resignation of its Women's Officer,  Helen Dallas.

The plebiscite will be held on Thursday 22nd October. This will follow a full Union debate on the issue on Wednesday 21st October, which the Union sates will be conducted with “decorum and respect for both sides”.

In due course, the Union will be releasing a form that allows members to apply to speak in the debate. The Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) will be offered the chance to send representatives to speak regardless of whether they are members of the Union.

In order to protect the interests of its officers, Union staff will not be allowed to campaign for either side of the eventual debate.

In the coming days, the Union will release a paper outlining the past reasoning for its platforming of controversial speakers and its reasons for holding this referendum.

The question on the referendum will be: “Do you agree that the Cambridge Union should host Julian Assange via videolink on November 11th at 7pm?”.

Assange has not set restrictions on the questions he can be asked. 

His potential appearance is controversial due to an ongoing investigation by the Swedish authorities into an alleged sex offence.

The President of the Cambridge Union, Oliver Mosley, stated that: “This referendum is called because the case of Julian Assange is a unique one; the Union must obey the rules of the society in which it operates, but in this case we are faced with a decision regarding a man who exists outside that same society – and we cannot make a decision about whether or not to host him without the support of our membership”.

He also said that: “This is an unprecedented response to a unique issue and I encourage all Union members to vote on October 22nd”.

However Charlotte Chorley, CUSU Women's Officer, responded strongly to the news. 

"With such a divisive speaker, as evidenced by previous discussions and concerns regarding his presence at other Unions, a vote of members is the right decision, although Assange should never have been invited in the first place. 

"Having already hosted him previously, I find it difficult to believe that this event will add anything new or nuanced to the Union; and so, the invitation comes at the cost of further silencing those already marginalised by the privileged institution. Indeed, the message that this sends is that, regardless of your evasion of justice, it does not matter if you've possibly raped someone as long as you're deemed interesting.

"This is not free speech; this is a platform, and a deeply ignorant one which undoes the work of the many attempting to change the reactionary and deeply exclusionary institution.

"Of course, I respect the democratic procedures the Union has evoked in calling this vote, but I urge members to vote against Assange. If the resignation of the Union's Women's Officer is not enough to signal the offensive and problematic nature of Assange's presence, then the attempt to host this man in the same term as a Consent Forum designed to look at the hostility surrounding those brave enough to step forward and speak out, is worth bearing in mind. 

"Assange's evasion of justice is not an example of free speech, but rather, a denial of the freedom of those women alleging sex crimes against him to speak out. Anyone attempting to defend his presence on these grounds falls short of a legitimate argument."