“Segregation” row breaks out after student union bans white students from Black History Month events

8 October 2022, 19:40

A row has erupted after a student union banned white students from attending some Black History Month events.

The University of Westminster’s student union told students that some events will be ‘reserved for black students to encourage a safe space for discussions and honest conversations.”

It did not specify which events in an email sent to students.

Dr Neil Thin, a social anthropology lecturer at Edinburgh University, posted online: “Fashionable nonsense 2020s style: activists confuse people by reintroducing racial segregation to "anti-racist" events.

“Thankfully this is still extremely rare in UK, but if students and lecturers are too scared to comment, please don't assume this will go away.”

A spokesman for the university told the Telegraph: “One of the university’s key Black Lives Matter commitments was to eliminate all gaps associated with success measures for all BME students. Black History Year Create, an intensive career-defining programme aimed at addressing disparities among black students, does exactly that.

“Equality of opportunity does not always mean giving everyone access to the same thing; it means creating a level playing field by offering some programmes to those who are underrepresented or those who have had less access to opportunity.”

The student union declined to comment.