THOUSANDS of people have signed an online petition opposing a ban on the funding of pro-life groups at a Scottish university.

The petition hosted on the global Christian activism website CitizenGo has already attracted more than 5,000 signatures.

The development comes after pro-life students from Strathclyde University, in Glasgow, wrote to the institution asking officials to intervene in a row over their rights to funding.

READ MORE: Pro-life students want funding row resolved at Strathclyde University

The letter - from the Catholic Society to the institution's ruling Court - comes after moves to overturn a ban on pro-life groups receiving financial support from the University of Strathclyde Students' Association (USSA) was rejected.

The Student Parliament voted down a request to change the policy despite arguments that restricting funding stifled freedom of speech and freedom of beliefs.

Glasgow Times:

The protest petition, directed to Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal of Strathclyde University, says: "The free exchange of ideas and discussion are being suppressed at universities and sadly, Strathclyde appears to be no exception.

"This is a clear censoring and restricting of the freedom of speech of a large body of students who happen to dissent from the majority opinion.

"Freedom of speech must prevail in Strathclyde and I trust that you will have the courage to protect and promote this central aspect of university learning."

READ MORE: Pro-life students want funding row resolved at Strathclyde University

However, Gary Paterson, the president of USSA, said the students could seek a university-wide referendum to overturn the ban on funding of campaigning by pro-life groups.

He said recently: “I strongly believe in the right of a woman to choose, and I also strongly believe in democracy; the Students’ Union is a democratic members organisation, all of our rules and policy are set by students and can be changed by students; judging by support for this policy and students attitudes on women’s rights I wouldn’t expect such a change would occur.”

The row comes at a time when there are growing concerns that British universities have become too politically correct and are stifling free speech by banning anything that causes offence.

READ MORE: Pro-life students want funding row resolved at Strathclyde University

Last year, the University of East Anglia banned students from wearing free sombreros they were given by a local Tex-Mex restaurant because the student union decided non-Mexicans wearing the wide-brimmed hats could be interpreted as racist.

Oxford University cancelled a debate on abortion after female students complained that they would be offended by the presence of men on the panel.

And Cardiff University students tried to ban the feminist icon Germaine Greer because she once wrote that a man who was castrated would not behave like a woman, which was construed as offensive to transsexuals.

John Deighan, chief executive officer at the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children Scotland said: "It is quite remarkable and incredibly sad that in this day and age our universities, which are supposed to be the bastions of free thinking and liberal mindedness, should be transformed into centres for intolerant censorship."

Founded in Madrid in 2013 CitizenGO is an internet activism platform that promotes Christian causes and includes petitions opposing same-sex marriage, abortion, and euthanasia.

It has supported a Russian LGBT propaganda law, promoted a Croatian ban on same-sex marriage and a Slovak referendum on banning same-sex marriage, LGBT adoption and limiting sex education.

READ MORE: Pro-life students want funding row resolved at Strathclyde University