Loading ...Not Guilty: KCLSU President cleared in race row
KCLSU President Chris Mullan has been cleared by the NUS of making racist comments following an investigation into what he said at an NUS training event.
But the union’s board of trustees have voted to suspend him pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
In a statement on September 10th, KCLSU Board of Trustees said: “KCLSU’s Board of Trustees met on Tuesday 9 September to consider allegations relating to comments made by the student union President, Chris Mullan, at a recent NUS training event.
“On the basis of the information provided the Trustees have decided to suspend Chris Mullan on full pay under KCLSU’s employment procedures pending a full inquiry.”
Asked why an investigation was necessary after the NUS cleared Mullan, KCLSU said: “The statement released by the NUS implies that there is an appeals process which we cannot prejudice.”
Mullan is a controversial figure, known for speaking his mind.
The allegations centre around comments he made during a role play of an AGM at a fictional university called ‘Fibchester’, with NUS President Wes Streeting playing Fibchester’s Vice-Chancellor.
In an email sent around student unions, NUS Black Students Officer Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy said: “At an NUS training event this week, Chris Mullan, President of Kings College London Students Union questioned encouraging more students from the local Black community to attend a university, as he thought the presence of such students would increase gun and knife crime and so require more security. He then went on to say that there should be thought put into whether they want such ‘undesirables’ at the university.
“In the same session another student officer, Craig Cox, Education Officer of the University of Nottingham, thought it would be funny to hold up a poster saying ‘BRING BACK SLAVERY’!”
The NUS investigation into Cox is ongoing.
But some student officers who were at the event say that Bellavia – who was not there – has not given an accurate account of Mullan’s comments.
LSE Student Union General Secretary Aled Fisher said: “During the role play, Chris asked a question: ‘Given the increase in knife crime in the area, if we’re going to widen participation, are you going to install a metal detector?’ He did not use the phrase ‘black people’ at all. Everyone was very involved in the role play at the time and it wasn’t obvious that it caused offence.
“In no way did he say black people. At the time no officer seemed to react to it other than ‘Oh, it’s just Chris being Chris.’ I just didn’t think twice about it, to be honest. We were all so into the role play.
“Later there were people walking around upset, but there was a lot of confusion. It was very unclear even at the time what had happened.”
Later writing on a Facebook group set up by KCL students concerned by the allegations, Bellavia added: “I received a complaint just after the session from a Black student. Most of the people I spoke to that evening were Black students, all of them angry and some were so outraged they left. I hope that we all agree that this is unacceptable.”
Bell has not responded to London Student’s requests for comment, and we have been unable to independently corroborate the claim that black students left.
Goldsmiths Student Union Campaigns & Communications Officer Jennifer Jones said: “I was in the room and what had come up was statistics about ethnic minorities. Wes Streeting said Fibchester doesn’t have many ethnic minorities. Then Chris said: ‘Why are we encouraging gun and knife crime into our universities when it would cost more for security and why would we want undesirables on campus in the first place?’
“I thought, I can’t believe what he just said, and there was a sort of collective reaction. Then Wes just started talking about something else. I had to leave just then, and I didn’t really hear anything else until I got back home.
“What Chris Mullan said on its own was not explicitly racist, it was because he said it immediately after and so in relation to a discussion on ethnic minority widening participation, the context meant it was.”
In an official statement, released after the end of the NUS investigation, Mullan said: “I would like to now make it clear what I was talking about. Since I am from London, and represent a London university, I could not have failed to notice the recent reported increase in knife attacks on young people over the summer. I have genuine concerns that at some point a King’s student may get attacked. I felt it prudent to raise the issue of funding to protect those people who wanted to study, from those carrying guns and knives, at any university in the country.
“This was a discussion only about security on any campus, anywhere. The only people I referred to as undesirable on a campus were any persons who carried a gun or a knife.”
“I firmly believe I have a duty to do the best for all students, and that means asking questions relating to their safety, which is in truth all that I have done.”
[...] in a letter last week that he was to be dismissed from his post as President of KCLSU, following a row over comments he made at an NUS training event. The decision was made by a three-man disciplinary panel – an [...]
[...] decision follows months of wrangling after Mullan was accused of racism following a row over comments he made at an NUS training [...]