The Guild of Students has been made aware today of a further incident of racist and anti-Islamic graffiti on our campus.
Further to our previous statement on this issue, the Guild would like to reaffirm its unreserved condemnation of this graffiti. Hate speech, racism and Islamophobia have absolutely NO place on our campus. We are committed to actively challenging and calling out hatred in all its forms and we stand firmly opposed to any form of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism or similar discriminatory behaviour.
Although the graffiti itself has been removed, we understand that this alone is not enough to ensure the safety of our members. All students have the right to live and study in a safe and supportive environment and we recognise that many students have been left feeling unsafe and vulnerable after these incidents. As a result, we are working closely with the University to ensure the safety of all of our members, including asking that the University to do everything within its powers to identify the perpetrators and prevent them from coming onto campus. We will also be working with the University’s Chaplaincy, the Good Campus Relations Group and student groups over the next few months, to develop an action plan for tackling racism, fascism and Islamophobia on campus.
In the meantime, if you feel unsafe on campus you can contact the Guild’s Advice and Representation Centre for free and confidential support. (The ARC is also a Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centre). The University also operate a Harassment Advice Service and have a number of support and advice services you can talk to.
We further urge anyone with information about these incidents to contact West Midlands Police via 101.
The Sabbatical Officer Team