THE
OXFORDSTUDENT One step ahead since 1991
Volume 73 Issue 3
Interview with UK chart topper Ella Eyre » OXII Page 3
Thursday 7th May 2nd Week
oxfordstudent.com
Interview with Hollywood director James Kent » Page 13
The better sport: rugby league or rugby union? » Page 22
Students are ‘not reporting violent bouncers’ to police • Under-reporting of nightclub assaults uncovered by newly released figures LUKE MINTZ EDITOR
Can Layla do it?
Moran on the verge of unseating Tory in Oxford West and Abingdon. See page 5. James Gourley/Liberal Democrats
Oxford police have come under fire this week for apparently failing to take reports of bouncer violence seriously, following the release of new police figures. According to Freedom of Information figures obtained by The Oxford Student, Thames Valley Police did not record a single offence in Oxford during 2012 or 2013 in which a bouncer was the alleged offender, and only 5 in 2014. These fairly low numbers stand in contrast to student accounts of widespread bouncer violence, in which nightclub staff have been accused of dragging students out of clubs for “absolutely no reason”, threatening students with excessive physical violence, and angrily shoving students against walls. Some students have blamed this apparent “under-reporting” of bouncer violence on a “police culture in which students are not
taken seriously”. “They’re attitude is always just ‘look at these annoying drunk students complaining about something’,” one second-year undergraduate and victim of bouncer violence commented, “it creates an atmosphere in which students are discouraged from complaining about ridiculous and excessive bouncer violence because they think they won’t be taken seriously”. One History student described a recent incident at an Oxford nightclub in which a bouncer “hooked me in the right temple”, leaving “a big purple bruise over my eye for the next week”. “I never touched the bouncer in question,” the student continued, “or even came within a threatening distance of him.” When he called Thames Valley Police to report the assault, however, the officers were allegedly “not interested” in responding to the complaint. Continued on page 6 »
No student love for “ear-splitting” and “dystopian” Christian music event • Broad Street was rocked into the early hours as ‘anti-social’ Christian festival kept students awake ahead of finals.
LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR
Students have voiced anger over “unacceptable” levels of noise during the annual Love Oxford event, held on Broad Street on Sunday morning. Love Oxford, a Christian festival involving participants from churches across Oxford, was scheduled to run from 11am – 12:45, but students’ complaints have reported sound checks taking place as early as 9am in the city-centre location. Cason Reily, a second-year Trinity student, commented: “It was a weekend without any peace or quiet for us Trinity students. I was mistaken in thinking that the end of Wadstock at midnight and Balliol Ball at 3AM would allow some respite. “ Lovefest came on that morning louder than either of the previous nights’ events,
making both work and rest impossible. The blaring Christian ballads seemed more geared to make finalists and students unhappy that to promote love of any sort.” Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “I could hear the sound pretty clearly from Cornmarket. I didn’t mind – I’m a Christian and think mass events like these are great for the church community to come closer together. It didn’t seem fair on the students living around the area though; I appreciate not everyone wants to get woken up with calls of “hallelujah” first thing on a Sunday morning.” Sunday morning’s event was the 10th Love Oxford event, and last year involved participants from over 30 churches in the city, including St Aldates and Oxford Bible Church. Several hundred individuals are estimated to have attended on Sunday
morning to take part in the open-air service, which included prayers and songs, delivered from a stage via sound systems. According
“ My windows and doors were shaking... the music was unnecessarily loud
”
to Love Oxford’s website, the three aims of the event were “to unite in praise, preach the gospel and pray for Oxford”.
In 2014, the event was scheduled to take place on Broad Street, but was moved following clashes with university exams. Many of the students’ complaints focused on the effect of the event on finalists, such as Exeter student Alice Nutting, who said: “My finals start in two weeks and the noise outside woke me up early. It also made it impossible for me to revise. My windows and door were shaking. Apparently the Bodleian and several other colleges were also affected. Broad Street seemed like a completely inappropriate venue in light of the noise disturbance; the music was unnecessarily loud”. At least two students have stated that they have already made official complaints to Oxford City Council in order to air their views on the event. One letter, posted on the Love Oxford’s Facebook page, described
the noise as “ear-splitting”, adding that, “students from at least 7 colleges (Exeter, Jesus, Lincoln, Balliol, Trinity, Hertford, Wadham) were affected… The noise was unbelievably loud. It could easily be heard from the corner of Parks Road and South Parks Road”. The draft complaint continued by noting that “ I am reasonably sure that your average rock band would not be given a license to perform on Broad Street on a Sunday morning” and suggesting that it would be more suitably held in University Parks or somewhere else less central. Fred Cascarini, one of the students to make an official complaint, stated: “I acted primarily in support of my partner who, as an Exeter student, was significantly disrupted by the event. Continued on page 7 »