Frank apology

Last week's THE covered a conference debate on critical theory and education in which I am reported to have made a direct and general comparison between the situation of Anne Frank and today's academics ("Smells like the spirit of 1968", 1 April). I had no intention to create such an impression and am sorry for any offence caused by the manner in which my comments were conveyed.

The deeply insensitive and inappropriate nature of such a comparison was not present in the full context of my talk, in which the reference was used only to illustrate a specific point about the betrayal of critical thought by those who should protect it. Unfortunately and ironically, the THE article provided a practical illustration of the theoretical point I was seeking to make.

Paul A. Taylor, University of Leeds.