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Exclusive interview with two of Britain’s indie rock bands pp.10-11
Durham’s independent student newspaper
Palatinate
No. 776
Thursday 22nd October 2015| FREE
www.palatinate.org.uk
Photograph: James Boobier
Toxic Durham Union Society culture exposed Josh Smith Editor-in-Chief Following the latest controversy surrounding Durham Union Society (DUS), Palatinate has investigated the deep divide within the society, which is the result of racist and sexist remarks plaguing DUS over the last two years. DUS recently came under fire after it used a picture of ISIS terrorists to publicise a debate about Islam’s relationship with the western world. Although the picture was removed from the event page within
24 hours, a former student, Osha Al, encouraged others to send an email to Vice Chancellor Stuart Corbridge, calling for DUS to issue a formal apology. Napat Rungsrithananon, the current DUS President, issued a public apology, which stated: “I recognise that it was a poor choice of image, however no malice was intended, and I regret any unintentional harm it has caused.” With national coverage of the incident reaching the Daily Mirror, some have questioned whether the blunder will have a lasting impact on the society’s reputation.
It’s also not the first time that DUS has found itself in hot water. Former UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom, who attended a debate titled ‘This House Believes the Right to Free Speech Means Nothing Without the Right to Offend’, has been invited to the Union at least eleven times, despite a significant protest by students during a debate he attended last May. Last term, a number of students protested against Bloom’s invitation to debate on feminism, shouting “No Room for Bloom!” and “Women’s rights now, no debate necessary.” Students made their views on Bloom more than clear, with a member of Durham University Feminist
Society claiming he never should have been invited because “we are giving a platform to someone who has made sexist, racist and homophobic comments.” This was in reference to him calling an audience member a “slut” at a party conference one year and describing the squeezing of people’s backsides as “this is life” at DUS. Various DUS members have spoken exclusively to Palatinate about the society’s recurring invitation to Bloom and the image this is giving the society. Kat Hind, a Castle third-year, who has been associated with the
DUS for the last two years, said: “It seems bizarre to have the same speaker coming back so often, it’s not exactly giving members, who pay a large amount for their membership, value for money. “I definitely feel that the reason for inviting Bloom back specifically is because he is controversial. “He draws a crowd for all the wrong reasons and it’s an ugly side of [DUS].” Arguing for the right to offend, Bloom only gave anecdotal evidence and name-dropped figures he had met. Continued on p.8