Uniting to Stop Racism

 

A further priority this year area is to build a broad campaign to challenge racism and discrimination on campus and in the community, working with local organisations, the University and students. This has become an increasingly pressing issue in Plymouth, which unfortunately has been only too clear to us following a number of racist attacks on students last year.

The growing Islamophobia that has arisen from the ‘War on Terror’, and the scapegoating of asylum seekers and refugees in the media has played into the hands of fascist groups such as the British National Party, who have sought to whip up racial hatred and increase community tensions. Where they have gained a foothold incidents of racist and homophobic attacks and abuse have increased.

Last year I worked closely with local and national organisations, such as Unite against Fascism and ‘Love Music, Hate Racism’, which seek to break through the myths that seek to divide society. Where there are active campaigns that tackle racist myths and stereotypes, support for fascist parties such as the BNP has been shown to collapse, and racist incidents decline.

This year we are also part of the new ‘Stonehouse against Racism’ campaign. Since the Exeter bombing attempt by Nicky Reilly, the experience of racial abuse has become a regular occurrence for many in the BME community, particularly in the Stonehouse area where Nicky Reilly had lived.

What should have been the focus of Exeter bomb incident was fact that person in question was suffering from severe mental health issues, and the lack of mental health provision in the local area meant he did not receive the help he needed. Instead the media focussed attention on his recent conversion to Islam and speculated over whether he was influenced by others in the city, despite the fact we have not seen any evidence that suggests this. The response from the Muslim community in Plymouth has in fact demonstrated the exact opposite, yet many have had to suffer verbal and physical abuse because of racism and irresponsible reporting.

The reality is that both the BME and the white community in Stonehouse suffer from a lack of provision of public services. We should be united to campaign for better services for all – for education, housing, healthcare and jobs.

The ‘Stonehouse against Racism’ campaign and the goal of the Students’ Union anti-racism campaign this year is to unite students and the community against the politics of division and hate, pushed by fascist groups such as the BNP, and to make real positive changes for the whole community. Instead of allowing ignorance and stereotyping of people from different cultures and faiths to persist, there needs to be a more pro-active campaign to show people that we actually all have common interests and values.

We will be holding a number of events on campus, to raise awareness about different cultures and to get more students, and members of the community, active in challenging discrimination. We are currently planning ‘One World Week’ which will be held between the 10^th-16^th November, so watch this space for more news on what will be happening that week and the rest of term.

This campaign will also link in with increasing debates, talks and education focussed events around social justice and environmental issues. If you want to get involved in this or any other campaigns you can email me at campaigns@upsu.com.

 

 

 

The start of another year…and the fight to keep education accessible continues

 

This year we are facing the prospect of the government lifting the cap on top-up fees, which would mean universities could charge even higher fees than the current £3000 a year, creating an increasingly elitist education system and a more marketised sector.

Students are already saddled with years of debt, and lower income groups are poorly represented within higher education. The student maintenance loan barely covers three term’s rent, let alone the rising costs of food, and of course, study materials. In addition, interest rates on the student loan are so high that the majority of students will have years of financial difficulties after leaving university.

New studies show that three in four students are forced to take on part-time work to support their full-time studies, whilst some have had to drop out of university unable to afford to stay. Again, students from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to take on a high number of hours in paid employment than students from wealthier backgrounds, creating a big disadvantage.

What’s more, the sectors in which students work are some of the lowest paid, and studies by the TUC and NUS show that students are one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to being exploited in the workplace.

One of my main priorities this year will be campaigning around these issues – against the lifting of the cap and to promote student rights in the workplace. The growing problems around student debt, deprivation, exploitation and the threat of increasing fees requires a mass movement of students nationally to campaign for a change in system of education funding.

In addition to these national issues, at our own institution we are faced with a Strategic Review that I think accentuates the marketisation issue, and that may create considerable disruption to students on affected courses.

Engaging in the national movement against the marketisation of our education, whilst striving to ensure that the welfare of our own students is the top priority of the University, over and above other agendas, will be of key importance.