Students reveal racism is rife at UK universities

by NADEEM BADSHAH

STUDENTS have revealed the scale of racism in universities and accused institutions of failing to do enough to tackle the issue.

Last week, Warwick University expelled three students as it investigates complaints of alleged instances of racial slurs discussed among some students on social media.

Figures show that incidents of racism in British universities have increased by 60 per cent in the past two years.

Recent incidents included a group of Muslim students in the Midlands attacked by a man who spat and shouted at them, according to The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS). A student at King’s College in London also had her hijab veil ripped off.

Yasmin Ahmed said she and her sister Yusra suffered racism at Hull University in Yorkshire after staying on campus.

The law graduate said: “When we first moved to halls of residence we were racially abused.

“Verbal abuse then moved to threatening behaviour. For instance, boys threw a fire extinguisher at my door. We moved to new accommodation, but we were still racially abused.

“It was our first time away from home. It was our first experience at university. It’s pretty daunting as an 18-year-old.”

Yusra, a PhD student from Birmingham, added: “We reported it to the accommodation warden, but we didn’t get a response. We thought it wasn’t being taken seriously so we called the police, then the university took action. We have been moved four times.”

Saffa Mir, vice-president of FOSIS, told Eastern Eye: “It is horrifying to see the growth in the number of incidences where Muslim students are subject to abuse on their own campuses.

“Generally, the response to this issue has not been strong enough.

“The UK government’s counter-terrorism initiative has had a chilling effect on Muslim students.

“Muslim student groups have had events cancelled on their campuses due to profiling during vetting processes and in some cases have been referred to authorities because of baseless suspicions.”

An analysis of data following a Freedom of Information request by the Independent newspaper found that 129 alleged incidents of racism were reported to UK universities in 2017, up from 80 incidents in 2015 or an increase of 61 per cent.

The British Organisation of Sikh Students said its members have faced questions from fellow undergraduates including “Have you got hair on the whole of the body?” “Can you kill him please with your kirpan [ceremonial dagger]?” and “Are you a Khalistani terrorist?”

Sheffield Hallam University said in April it was investigating four allegations of racism involving staff and students. One undergraduate reported that “too many Asians (brown ones)” had been written on a feedback board in the library.

Exeter University suspended five law students in March after their racist WhatsApp messages were posted on Facebook by another student.

According to the Muslim Student Survey, one in three have experienced abuse or a hate incident in their place of study.

Jaspreet Singh, the president of British Organisation of Sikh Students, said its members have “always faced a lot of racist abuse in universities”.

He told Eastern Eye: “The universities have, in many terms, made us a tick box [exercise] with very few tailored services for Sikh students.

“There is a need to take strict action against the people who are overtly racist, but also universities need to form race equity plans to [address] institutional racism. Universities have not been doing much to tackle the issue of racism. The only thing young students have got are Sikh societies, Afro-Caribbean societies to fight institutions which are 400 years old. It is not fair.”

Ethnic minority students have been shown to be successful in applying to study a degree or further education course. In 2011, BME teenagers made up 18 per cent of 15-year-olds in the UK, but three years later the same group occupied 29 per cent of undergraduate places.

Yinbo Yu, from the National Union of Students, said research by the Student Room had found that half of all students have witnessed some form of discrimination. “There has been an alarming growth in the number of reported racist incidences on campuses in the last few months.

“We also know that there are concerning levels of Islamophobia on campuses, which will have affected many international students from south Asia and elsewhere. A recent survey by NUS found that 79 per cent of Muslim students felt they had experienced abuse just for being Muslim.

“Universities seriously need to ensure that all students can feel safe at UK universities. This means taking urgent action against perpetrators, but also addressing the institutional prejudices that can make so many international students feel like university campuses are not welcome to us.”

Universities UK said places of study had a vital role to play in promoting a “safe and inclusive environment in which students and staff of all backgrounds and ethnicities can flourish”.

A spokesman added: “There is no place for racism on a university campus, nor anywhere else.

These issues are not isolated to universities. However, UK universities are in a position to lead the way in preventing and responding to hate crime.

“Ultimately, a long-term commitment by senior leaders will be vital to ensuring our universities are safe places to live, work and study.”