If you’ve walked around most University of London campuses, then you’ll have noticed that religious groups are alive and kicking in the student world today. But with the launch of their own national federation, now the atheists have got on the band wagon.

The National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies (AHS) launched in February at Conway Hall in London, coinciding with the 200^th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth.

Organisers said they hope to “unionise” religiously sceptical students in a climate some have found hostile to unbelievers and have received support from scientist Richard Dawkins, philosopher A.C Grayling and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.

“The AHS was launched to help students set up atheist or secular societies; many students trying to start societies have faced opposition,” AHS spokesperson Chloë Clifford-Frith told London Student.

She added that Muslim groups and Christian Unions have tried to block secular societies from receiving student union affiliation, with many SUs also proving sceptical about allowing them to affirm their creed on campus.

“Students have had posters vandalised and have been blocked from joining interfaith committees,” Clifford-Frith said: “there had been a lot of misunderstanding, as people think that secular societies are all about hostility.”

“The Student Union was against us forming,” head of Royal Holloway Secular Students Adrian Hayter said: “they seem to think we’re anti-religious and that we don’t have anything to say because we don’t believe anything.”

The Federation, launched as believers and non-believers battle it out through bus adverts, will help students organise debates and courses on issues such as evolution and creationism, abortion and gay marriage.

Following the example set by religious awareness weeks, students will get support organising ‘reason’ and ‘rationality’ weeks, already trialled at Leeds and Southampton Universities.

After having posters torn down on campus when they launched in 2007, in what Hayter called “a general climate of hostility,” Royal Holloway’s secularists now participate in a yearly debate with the Christian Union.

“Not long ago, we went on a protest against the Vatican to call for a secular Europe,” Hayter said, adding: “We will be campaigning about freedom of speech, abortion, gay marriage and basically trying to keep the UK a secular country.”

Asked about the recent face-off on the sides of London buses, Hayter said: “I think it’s great, this is what freedom of speech is about, the debate should be open to everyone.”

Responding to the AHS launch, President of SOAS Christian Union Jacob Wiebel said: “I think it’s a great thing that they should be able to express their view, and if it opens doors for conversations with them, then that’s definitely good.”

Birkbeck Philosopher A.C Grayling said, “As well as making the case for reason and science, it is great to know that the AHS will be standing up against religious privilege and discrimination.”

“All people are entitled to their beliefs, but we secularists (whether religious or humanist) are right in arguing that the state must be entirely neutral in these matters.”

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