February 11, 2010

Students shocked by campus attack

A police investigation is underway after a university was daubed with offensive slogans

Swastikas and offensive wording, including "no Pakis", were sprayed on a number of buildings at Staffordshire University's Leek Road and College Road campuses at roughly 2am yesterday. Once spotted, maintenance staff were dispatched to clean up the graffiti. However, the incident has left students upset, with many saying they wouldn't recommend Stoke-on-Trent as a suitable destination to come and study.

Charlotte McKenzie, aged 20, came to the university from Nottingham. The broadcast journalism student said: "The graffiti is disgusting. I came to Stoke-on-Trent already aware of the high number of BNP councillors, but gave it a chance. This sort of thing makes me not want to be here anymore, or recommend it to my friends. I have experienced racism during my time here, whether it is sly remarks or innuendos."

Rochelle Owusu, aged 18, is originally from North London. The law and journalism student said: "I cannot believe something like this has happened at the place I chose to come to study. I'm only in my first year and I didn't sign up to deal with this sort of thing. This is somewhere we should feel safe."

The incident has been linked by some to the imminent university elections where current students' union president Assed Baig is fighting to hold on to his position. The 28-year-old is facing the polls after a group of students moved for a vote of no confidence. Mr Baig has been heavily involved in protests against the BNP and in the recent English Defence League demonstration in Hanley. He also made headlines last year after posting an article on the union website, containing a link to a site identifying 30 BNP members living within two miles of the university's Stoke campus.

Mr Baig, who has Pakistani parents, believes the attack was a message to him.

"I have no idea who has done this, but when they write "no Pakis" outside the entrance to my work, I feel it is aimed at me, especially with the election approaching," he said. "I cannot understand why somebody would do this, it makes me sick to my stomach."

Gary McNally, aged 24, is chairman of the Students' Union Council. The modern and international history student, who moved to the Potteries from Newbury, said: "I think it's disgusting that people are trying to intimidate students. We need to bring the community together, from all religions, to fight this. This sort of thing really puts people off studying here."

A spokesman for the university said: "We wish to send a strong and clear message to say we do not tolerate racist behaviour in any form on our campuses. Our campuses are covered by CCTV and regular night patrols and we will be fully co-operating with police."

A police spokesman added: "We are working with the university and students' union. CCTV footage is being checked."

Witnesses are asked to call PC Keith Emery on 0300 123 4455.

The Sentinel

15 comments:

jim said...

That's what happens when the government, local authorities and the police allow the EDL to take over your town.

Racist attacks have risen in every city where the nazi scumnags hafve marched, which is why they must not be allowed to cause a riot in Bradford.

Anonymous said...

After the EDL march in your town, it's open season for racism evermore.

Gordon Brown must be held responsible for failing to ban the EDL while banning Islam4uk

Unknown said...

Some by-election results (one still pending):

Hucknall Central (Ashfield BC) Feb 11

Lab 675 (38.40%)
Con 437 (24.86%)
LibD 357 (20.31%)
UKIP 158 (8.99%)
BNP 131 (7.45%)

The Nedge (Telford & Wrekin UA)

Con 760 (42.51%)
Lab 688 (38.48%)
UKIP 237 (13.26%)
BNP 103 (5.76%)

The BNP failed to nominate in Henley South (South Oxfordshire) and with 61 votes scored a lowly 8.4% in a London Colney parish by-election.

bloo said...

Hard-right eurosceptics UKIP are starting to kick Nick Griffin's arse big-time.

Cyclops must be pleased!

miss angry said...

I have just been physically sick, after reading a troll post by a pretend anarchist (suspected of being Trevor Kelway of the EDL) who goes under the name Durruti02, while whineging and whining about searchlight.

Anyone who reads Indymedia would have come across this double-crossing rightwinger pretending to be a leftwing anarchist over the last ten months.

Sadly many people have been taken in by his fake credentials, as he craftily speaks up the BNP and the EDL at the same time as criticising them.

While pretending not to like the EDL bigging them up at every juncture, this arrogant loser who insisted that he was an experienced anti-facsist, has been trying to convince Indymedia that the EDL were misunderstood nice guys.

Everytime someone called him a troll, he somehow always manages to talk his way out of it.

The recent article about the EDL planning to cause a race riot in Bradford that has been doing the rounds on the internet has pissed off Durruti02 so much, the cretin has come out in his true far right colours -

This is what he wrote in sheer anger about Bradford's Muslims: -

"the EDL represent a large and frustrated and angry minority who can not understand that while british soldiers are dying in the East, some young muslims in Bradford boast of their hate and opposition to this country".

This is so fuckin' untrue......

Reading this, living in Bradford has made me physically sick.

Bradford's young Muslims do not hate the United Kingdom. I have never read such lies by a supposed "militant anti-facsist".

Durruti is doing his upmost obviously to justify the EDL and their existence while pretending to be against them. It is suggested he is in-fact a sock-puppet of Trevor Kelway, which most definately would not surprise me.

Hopefully Searchlight or UKFightback can help flush out EDL/BNP trolls like Durruti before they can do more damage on the reputation of alternative websites like Indymedia.

It's funny how Searchlight puts the wind-up neo-nazi trolls like nobody else!

Anonymous said...

Fight fire with fire, I say. If fascists can do things like this then so can anti-fascists. You know where they live. Call round with the spray can at 2am and see how they like it. Not one bit, the answer will be.

Nice to see the BNP vote crumbling. Loads of lost deposits and bruised egos in May, methinks.

Anonymous said...

Colney

Lab 225
LD 193
Con 181
BNP 61

LOL

Anonymous said...

I think that UKIP are going to take away a lot of the BNP vote.

Unknown said...

The missing by-election result:

Plaistow ward (Chichester DC)

Con 504 (56.38%)
LibD 301 (33.67%)
BNP 89 (9.96%)


2009 result (by-election)

Con 455 (57.09%)
LibD 342 (42.91%)

Anonymous said...

There is as many facists in UKIP as the bloody BNP for goodness sake try speaking to some of the buggers!!
Jen.

Anonymous said...

Please don't publish unfounded accusations by 'miss angry' again. Durrutti is aposter on Urban 75 and a respected trade unionist in London. He Posts regularly on urban 75 as well. Miss Angry is the hysterical 'troll destroyer' on indymedia.

Please don't let those who shout the loudest and longest win out. That's what the Bnp hope for on the daily mail comments section.....

Anonymous said...

"pretend anarchist (suspected of being Trevor Kelway of the EDL) who goes under the name Durruti02"

Shameful he's using the name 'Durruti': One of the greatest anti-fascists in history, who gave his life for the cause in Madrid in 1936.

Antifascist said...

'Durrutti is aposter on Urban 75'

My understanding is that Miss Angry was referring to a character on Indymedia calling himself Durruti02, not Durrutti on Urban 75. Not that I've got much time for either of them (or him).

Antifascist said...

'Colney

Lab 225
LD 193
Con 181
BNP 61'

I'm sure I remember reading that the BNP expected to take that one. Oh dear.

Not Durrutti said...

"Durrutti is aposter on Urban 75"

Is that Durrutti who constantly has a go at anything anti-fascists do? Who hates Searchlight, Lancaster Unity and UAF equally but has nothing to offer apart from his own opinions? Great. Very useful.