Wednesday 25-11-2020 - 17:41

The Students' Union is shocked, disgusted and disappointed to have to report that a member of its officer team has been subjected to horrific racist and homophobic abuse today. 

BAME Students' Officer Max Kafula received a number of utterly disgraceful messages this afternoon from cowardly abusers hiding behind a cloak of anonymity. 

As a students' union we wish to make clear that we do not tolerate this. It's shameful that anyone should have to experience the kind of abuse that was sent to Max today. The identity of the person or people responsible is unknown, but it will be particularly saddening if it came from within the university community. 

We do not expect anyone associated with us, either through work or volunteering, to be exposed to such horrid vitriol. We also do not expect such hate within our University community, but it’s a stark reminder of why it’s so important that we keep pushing for equality. 

The matter has been reported to the police, and it is hoped that it will be possible to identify whoever is responsible for this attack and ensure that they face the consequences of their actions. 

The Students' Union is dedicated to supporting students who experience any form of hate incident. 

The Union recently registered as a Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centre with the ability to record incidents and report them to the police. 

The Union Advice Team is also available to offer support to any student who has experienced any form of hate crime. We would urge anyone who wants to either report an incident or access support to get in touch at advice@lancastersu.co.uk 

We and the whole Students' Union stand with Max in condemning whoever is responsible for today's incident and pledge to continue working together to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour.   

Oliver Robinson, President 
Atree Ghosh, Vice-President (Union Development)
Bee Morgan, Vice-President (Education) 
Shannon McCaul, Vice-President (Societies & Media) 
Amy Merchant, Vice-President (Welfare) 
Paul McCarthy, Vice-President (Sport)
Max Kafula, BAME Students' Officer
Jesse Phillips, LGBTQ+ Officer
Lydia Moodycliffe, Women+ Officer
Charli Clement, Women+ Officer
Molly Lawson, Students with Disabilities Officer
Amy Stanning, Postgraduate & Mature Students' Officer
Yu Hong Goh, International Students' Officer
Alan Roberts, Interim CEO