oncrete P-Ulled by nion over local B P interview by JAMES GOFFIN, News Editor CONCRETE WAS stripped off the newstands last fortnight after Union bosses accused the paper of publishing "racist propaganda". But the move has been condemned by students, who attacked the sabbatical team for cen oring the pre s and trying to silence criticism of the Union. we've stayed within them. This The decision to pull the paper Nazi League poster. was taken by the three sabbatical In a statement announcing the was an anti-racist article, and it is officers, after they objected to the ban, sabbs said they were important that we cover these centre spread interview with a "shocked and ashamed" at the issues. lt doesn't break the local British National Party leader article, which "could only be Constitution, and the sabbs have · illustrated by a front page from described as racist propaganda" just made an emotive, political BNP paper Freedom and an Anti- that broke the Union's "non- decision." discriminatory policy." Intelligent But when pressed, "The Union are acting as the Academic Officer, Lisa Eldret, admitted that no official non- thought police. Students are discriminatory policy exists. intelligent enough to make up "it's what is written on their own minds, and I don't the blue boards in Union believe that any student is going House, but as far as I am to join the BNP after reading that aware it has not been article," he reasoned. passed by Students Forum or a UGM. Other news: "However, it • Beeline in trouble 6 fundamentally • New sabbs elected 2 underlines everything • Constable complaints 3 we do as a students' union," she protested. That argument was And he was backed by the rejected by Concrete's National Union of Journalists, who praised Concretes handling Rejected of a difficult issue. editor, James Tapsfield, "The way to defeat fascism is who insisted that he had not to suppress it or pretend it is not broken any rules not there, but to demonstrate how about what the paper dangerous it is by, if necessary, can print - and fiercely publishing fascist material in an denied accusations of anti-racist context, and this feature was clearly anti-racist," racism. "Concrete operates commented NUJ spokesman, independently within Tim Golpin. During the row sabbs also sensible rules, and
touted changes to the paper's status, threatening "the imposition of greater editorial control from democratically elected officers," sparking off a 850-signature to campus-wide petition safeguard the paper's position . But the Union has now utumed, claiming that they fully support Concrete's independence.
Autonomy "I don't want to take away Concrete's autonomy, and neither
does Management Committee," claimed Welfare Officer, Claire Kober. "And I don't believe we should have an elected editor, because you are looking at a job that needs skills, not a political appointment like a sabbatical," she promised. But editor James Tapsfield is unconvinced by the Union's words.
Scrutinising "Scrutinising the Union officers is one of our main jobs, and we can't do that if the elected officers are the people who have the final say over what goes in the paper. There's no point us existing as a Union Pravda." "They've already ripped up the rules once. Who's to say they won't do it again?" See letters, page 8
Leader
The imP-ortance of being indeReriEJent here have been some very dangerous hrases bandied about over the last fortnight. Concrete has been accused of publishing racist propaganda on more than one occasion, and as the paper has been withdrawn many students will have been unable to decide for themselves whether this is the case or not. lt is important to say here, then, that all sides accept that the text of the article was not racist, and that Concrete in no way supports racism or the BNP. You may not agree with the editorial decision that was taken, and it is understandable that people are concerned about the way the BNP are covered in the media. But the fact is that the newspaper would not be doing its job if everyone was happy with what it printed all the time. Since it started as a private company - totally separate from the Union - in 1992, Concrete has always been editorially independent, and well over 90 per cent of its costs are still covered through advertising revenue. If its editorial independence was not safeguarded by a set of rules Concrete would find it impossible to scrutinise the activites of the Union and make sure that students are being well represented. So when these rules are broken or ignored, as they have been in this case, the independent status of the newspaper is threatened. And if the freedom of the press to investigate issues and scrutinise our representatives is undermined, we really do have problems.
T
1