© 2026 ABC News

The debate raged across the Atlantic when Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, weighed in. He tweeted, “Not cool, University of Manchester. Not Cool.”

Not cool, University of Manchester. Not cool. https://t.co/D2exSkOSml

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) October 2, 2018

Carol Povey of the National Autistic Society told ABC News she understood the university’s position as “many autistic people experience sensory overload.” But her organization did not advocate an outright ban on clapping.

“Hand waving might cause sensory overload for people with visual sensitivity,” she said.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union has criticized media coverage of the motion, denying that it was enforcing a \"clapping ban.\"

The policy was passed “to encourage the use of British Sign Language (BSL) clapping during our democratic events to make those events more accessible and inclusive for all,\" the union said in a statement. \"We are not banning audible clapping – we understand that some people may be more comfortable to continue using it.”

The union said this would only apply to democratic meetings where policy is made.

\"PHOTO:
Peter Byrne/PA Wire/AP, FILE
PHOTO: In this file photo shows a general view of the University of Manchester in Manchester, U.K., Sept. 9, 2017.
>

Amy Wei, the deputy editor of The Mancunion student newspaper who penned the original article on the “clapping ban,” told ABC News it was “surreal to watch Piers Morgan froth at the mouth over this policy.”

\"I’m stunned by how my story has been used to create and perpetuate sweeping generalizations about my generation and liberalism,” she said. “It’s not representative of the views of the vast majority of students I’ve spoken to, and I don’t think it’s representative of the student left wing.”

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