Over the weekend, President Donald Trump imposed a ban on people from 7 Muslim majority countries entering the United States of America. This ban encompasses refugees, green card holding U.S. residents, students and academics pursuing their research, and people returning home after visiting friends and family across the world.
We are horrified – yet sadly not shocked – to see such an act of hatred and bigotry enacted by the President of the United States. We are disappointed that our own government, here in the U.K., will not speak out against this act of injustice and has instead chosen to ally itself with these actions
On Holocaust Memorial Day, we took the time to look back at a moment of terrible injustice in our recent history. Future generations will look back the targeting of Muslims today – as we look back at the hateful acts of our recent history – with the same disgust, horror and shame. Now, more than ever, we must speak out and challenge hate, injustice and intolerance in all its forms. If we do not speak out, we are complicit.
There are 37,500 students studying at Birmingham, representing over 140 nations. We ask that our University stands together in solidarity with those affected, both here within our community and across the world. We will be asking the University to release information on the support available for any students who have been affected by recent events. If you are worried, please come and talk to us. We are here to support you.
You can contact your Officer Team here or Guild Advice, which offers free and impartial support to students, here.