An event set to be hosted by right-wing commentator and former academic Matt Goodwin in Cambridge has been cancelled, following criticism by activist group Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) Cambridge.

Goodwin was invited by the New Culture Forum (NCF) to discuss his book, Suicide of a Nation, in Cambridge on Monday (25/05). The NCF is a right-wing think tank which aims to challenge “the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media,” and argues that “the liberal establishment sets the terms of debate”.

The blurb to Goodwin’s book describes it as “a story of how a people are losing their own country […] [due to] mass uncontrolled immigration, porous borders, ‘two-tier multiculturalism’, and a draconian regime of censorship”.

SUTR Cambridge claimed that the book “promotes a repackaged version of the fascist ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory”. In March, Goodwin defended using AI to assist his writing of the book, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “I see no issue obtaining datasets via AI so long as they are cross-checked with the original source.”

The event was initially intended to be held at the Quaker Meeting House on Jesus Lane. However, the day before the event was set to take place, the venue was changed to Anstey Hall Hotel in Trumpington, before being cancelled entirely.

SUTR Cambridge claimed in a social media post on Monday morning that there had been “pressure from our community” which had led to “the venue recognising that Goodwin’s views do not align with Quaker values”.

A spokesperson for the Jesus Lane Quaker House said: “We took a decision to cancel this meeting as soon as we became aware that it contravened our hiring policy.”

On Monday afternoon, SUTR confirmed that the event had been cancelled, saying: “thanks to the teamwork of Stand Up to Racism Cambridgeshire volunteers, the second venue has also cancelled”.

The group added: “The event appears to have been postponed but we will be ready to protest against any platforming of Matt Goodwin, or indeed any other far right speaker the NCF invites to our county”.

Goodwin posted a statement on X in response to the cancellation, stating: “Two separate venues in Cambridge buckled to far-left activists and cancelled a discussion of my book.”

Goodwin continued: “I find it sad that the organisers of two venues in a place such as Cambridge, with its long tradition of free speech and robust debate, cannot find the courage to stand up to hard left woke activists.”

Goodwin was an academic who specialised in the rise of the far-right before he took a voluntary redundancy from the University of Kent in 2024. Since then, he has become a member of Reform UK, and was appointed the honorary head of Reform’s student organisation, Students4Reform. He stood as the Reform candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, finishing second behind Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer.

In January, Goodwin spoke in a debate at the Cambridge Union, opposing the motion: “This House Believes the Time Has Come for a Radical British Left.”

The New Culture Forum and Anstey Hall Hotel were contacted for comment.