gair rhydd y
gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1064 Monday 9th November 2015 Also in this issue
Advice: Making use of the Skills Development Service P9>>
What a Flux up! Chaos outside Y Plas as Halloween queues overwhelm bouncers
Comment: What does the poppy really commemorate? P10>>
t Flux advised attendees to arrive early but security not in place in time t Student tells Gair Rhydd: “Someone could have been seriously injured” t Students’ Union apologises over “unprecedented” nature of incident
Toby Holloway and Anna Lewis
C
ardiff University students were left outraged on Saturday night after a dangerous crush occurred at Halloween Flux. No serious injuries occurred, although many students reported incidents of shoving, punching and aggressive bouncers, as the queue into Y Plas nightclub swelled to unmanageable levels. On a busy night of Halloween celebrations, students were left queuing outside the Students’ Union doors and onto the pavement for hours late into the night. With hundreds arriving as early as 9:30pm in an attempt to secure last minute tickets. Queuing issues were exacerbated by the fact that Y Plas did not open its doors until 10pm. Anger was caused as a message
was posted on the Flux Facebook page warning students: “a very limited number [of tickets] will be available on the door-arrive early to avoid disappointment.” However, in a statement made by the Students’ Union, a spokesperson attributed the confusion to “unclear promotional posts”, and did not take responsibility for the chaos. The spokesperson for the Union did however acknowledge that “significant delays” were caused” to those at the rear of the queue and those at the front experienced pushing and shoving as the crowd surged forward.” The incident was described as “unprecedented” and the Students’ Union “sincerely apologise” for the problem. Queues increased rapidly as bouncers didn’t arrive at the club doors until 10pm, leaving hundreds
of students standing frustrated outside. It has since been confirmed that 1,750 tickets were sold in advance out of a maximum capacity of 2,200. However, only 206 additional tickets were sold on the door out of a potential 450. Despite this, many students failed to gain entrance at all. Cardiff University student Ellie Davies voiced her frustration via the Flux Facebook page as she said: “We didn’t end up getting in even though we had tickets and stared queuing at 10:50pm.” This seemed a common theme for many stuck in the queue, with frustrations boiling over and even turning violent. Miss Davies described the events that followed as “quite dangerous”, with bouncers failing to control the situation. She added: “One bouncer in particular was overly aggressive and was causing
Pictured: Students queue for Halloween Flux outside the Students’ Union (Photographer: Craig Meikle)
Continued on page 4
Politics: What the snooping charter could mean P19>>
Science: Why are women not in STEM jobs? P23>>