Lancaster University Student’s Union BME officer told to stop being a ‘gay n****r’ in student feedback form
Max Kafula was elected BAME officer for his university student’s union (Facebook/Tobias Max Kafula)
Lancaster University’s Students’ Union BME officer was shocked to receive appalling racist, homophobic abuse in feedback forms from his fellow students.
On Wednesday, 25 November, Max Kafula reached out to students for feedback on his work with the student union. He was forced to close the online form just a few hours later when hateful responses began coming through.
In answer to the question “If you said that you did not have confidence in me, what could I do to improve it?” he received the reply: “STOP BEING A GAY N****R.” Another student told him to “stop being a zionist shill”.
When he asked for suggestions for what he should do with the remainder of his term, he was advised: “Stop selling out to the illegitimate state of Israel”.
“This is not only outright homophobic, racist and antisemitic, but it is also absolutely disgusting,” Kafula wrote on Facebook. “No one should even have these views.”
Kafula immediately reported the comments to the police as a hate crime. “No ifs, no buts, it’s a textbook hate crime,” he told The Tab Lancaster .
He also flagged the abuse with the Lancaster Students’ Union, which forcefully condemned the “utterly disgraceful” messages sent “from cowardly abusers hiding behind a cloak of anonymity”.
“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,” it wrote in a statement.
“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.”
It’s hoped the police can identify the person or persons who sent the anonymous forms.
