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Student Union Bans White Students From Attending Black History Month Events – Leads To Accusations Of Racial Separation
- University of Westminster sorority reserved events for black students
- Union got backlash for ‘tragic’ move during Black History Month
- Free Speech Union leader Toby Young said it was a ‘glaring contradiction’
- Meanwhile, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh called it ‘racial segregation’
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A student union has come under fire and accused of racial segregation after it banned white students from Black History Month events.
Students at the University of Westminster were told by the union in an email that some events would be “reserved for black students to encourage a safe space for discussion and honest conversation.”
But dr. Neil Thin, a lecturer in social anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, hit back, calling the move “tragic,” accusing the University of London of copying racial segregation “previously seen in South African and American education systems.”
The University of Westminster students were not told what events they would be banned from during a month that specifically celebrated black history through lectures, dances and film screenings, the Telegraph reports.
dr. Thin said: “It is bitterly ironic to see the rhetoric of ‘safe spaces’ being misused to justify racial segregation.
“Nothing will make social spaces more insecure than this kind of deliberate sowing of inter-ethnic suspicion and division.”
University of Westminster Students’ Union charged with racial segregation after banning white students from Black History Month events
Students were told in an email that some events would be “reserved for black students to encourage a safe space for discussions and honest conversations”
Meanwhile, Free Speech Union leader Toby Young labeled the group “fanatics” who failed to see the bigger picture.
“At some point, you’d think it would be obvious to these fanatics that you’re not going to discriminate against people based on their race, but they’re so blinded by ideological groupthink that they can’t see this blatant contradiction. ‘
Tory MP Sir John Haynes has called for an inquiry to see if there was any potential discrimination.
He also expressed concern about the “sinister” nature that “such ideas can be propagated in a free and open society.”
Just yesterday, the sorority’s most recent social media post highlighted that all students had been invited to an event with Zoe Garsh, founder of Ms Independent, which runs career courses for young women.
The caption read: ‘This is a Black History Month event, but ALL students are welcome! Don’t miss it.’
Just yesterday, the sorority’s most recent social media post highlighted that “ALL” students had been invited to an event with Zoe Garsh, founder of Ms Independent, which provides career courses for young women.
MailOnline has contacted the student union for comment.
Meanwhile, a university spokesperson said: “One of the university’s key Black Lives Matter commitments has been to close any gaps associated with success measures for all BME students. Black History Year Create, an intensive career-defining program aimed at addressing inequalities among black students, does just that.
‘Equality of opportunity does not always mean giving everyone access to the same thing; it means creating a level playing field by offering a number of programs to the underrepresented or those who have had fewer opportunities.’