NUS Vice-President for Union Development Vicki Baars has faced widespread criticism following the suggestion of a series of offensive chants planned for Wednesday’s National Demo in London.
In an email circulated to Union Presidents across the country yesterday (Monday) evening, Baars asked for chant suggestions for the demo, including her own examples including: “Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the tories on the top, put the libdems in the middle and burn the f***ng lot! [sic]” and a chant describing Prime Minister David Cameron as a “wanker”.
Baars has since apologised for “any offence caused” by the emails, and described the chants listed as ones she had “personally pulled together” before claiming that the chants were “not an official NUS briefing”.
Despite this, the email was sent from her official account and invites feedback to be sent to the NUS as a whole rather than to Baars herself. She added that the chants “in no way represent the views or policy of the organisation”.
YUSU President Kallum Taylor, one of the recipients of the email, told Vision: “Those kind of chants undermine every ounce of hard work that YUSU, and other SU’s across the country have put into making a positive occasion out of serious Demo. By all means chant away, and get in the mood, but do it creatively. Swear words and personal digs will just alienate and intimidate onlookers.”
“I get the anger, but you’ve got to translate that effectively. It’s deflating to see a national rep play that line; so we’ll try even harder tomorrow to make team York’s experience a fun one. I’m more interested in how we Samba through the capital than what we chant to be honest.”
Baars has also faced criticism from students across the country through Twitter. University of Surrey Students’ Union President @DaveHalls_ tweeted: “Vicki Baars has unintentionally completely justified Surrey’s decision to keep well away from tomorrow’s #demo2012. #incitingviolence #farce”, whilst Loughborough student @jago_pearson posted saying: “Probably time to step down, @VickiBaars. You do not represent students and you never will do.”
The National Demo is planned for tomorrow in London with YUSU planning on sending down 400 York students. Tickets are still available through the YUSU website.
What are the university playing at? How can they justify continuously expanding the university when there are already substantial infrastructural and crowding issues and they have already hit their target of 15,000 students. Rather they should focus on bringing up student satisfaction rather than making students feel they’re just crowding in as many students as possible to take the cash in. There are already huge problems with more and more student housing while York faces a council house shortage – this is only going to exacerbate matters
Arrgh – this should have gone on the district 9 article. I’m such an eejit. Apologies
And the NUS wonder why a silent majority of students feel completely unrepresented by their organisation.
The sheer stupidity and hypocrisy of these comments goes some way to revealing the cancerous and self-inflated nature of NUS.
I actually feel so appalled that this union, that I am part of, as a conservative student against the rise in fees actually feels for his own safety at the NUS events that are held, its a bit of an oxymoron if you ask me.
If you don’t have a political argument then why result to such disgraceful things
So, the NUS are a bunch of bed-wetting bolsheviks?
Why is this news?
The NUS never has, and never will be fit to represent me for as long as I don’t want to be fast-tracked into working for the Labour Party.
bed wetting can be controlled by some medications and some form of psychological therapy.,
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