They say it about keeping ‘hate out of universities’ but critics say they should be ’embarrassed’ to call themselves a debating society
Bangor University(Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)
A debating society based at Bangor University has refused a request by Reform UK to hold a question and answer session with students. The Bangor Debating & Political Society is the oldest student society in Wales, founded in 1849.
It says it is home for students who love to “challenge ideas, explore diverse perspectives, and master the art of persuasion”.
But this week it put out a statement confirming it had refused a request from Jack Anderton and Sarah Pochin MP of Reform UK to meet and debate students.
The group – which is run by students through the independent Students’ Union – said they had “zero tolerance for any form of racism, transphobia, or homophobia displayed by the members of Reform UK”.
But independent Bangor councillor and free speech advocate Nick Pritchard said he was “shocked and saddened” by the decision and that he feared for the future of political debate in the country.
The society said: “The Debating & Political Society received a request from Jack Anderton and Sarah Pochin MP of Reform UK to attend Bangor University and give a Q&A to students. In line with our values, this request was refused.
“We stand by this decision as a committee. We have zero tolerance for any form of racism, transphobia, or homophobia displayed by the members of Reform UK. Their approach to the lives of others is antithetical to the values of welcoming and fair debate that our society has upheld for 177 years. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
“We are proud to be the first of the debating unions to take a stand against Reform UK. We strongly implore our fellow societies to join us in keeping hate out of our universities.”
In response to an enquiry from North Wales Live, the society said: “Our first and foremost duty is to ensure a welcoming and enjoyable debate environment for our members. Therefore, we regularly must decide whether a speaker that has requested to attend is suitable and appropriate to make an enjoyable, productive debate. In this instance it was felt that platforming these individuals would not support this.”
Independent Bangor city councillor Nick Pritchard said: “I’m shocked — is this the future of political debate in this country? I’m saddened and shocked that this is being done by the younger generation, the people we will be relying on in the future to build our economy.
Independent Bangor cllr Nick Pritchard
“They’d be worse than the current political parties in charge in Wales, and that’s bad enough. Everything around us is crumbling while they’re off trying to save the rest of the world. The Welsh people themselves are continually forgotten.
“This is the price we pay for making everything about ‘right wing this’ and ‘right wing that’, and for shutting down alternative views. The middle ground has gone!
“The biggest problem here is that no one wants to debate. They’re too scared to see that there is some truth, and there’s no ability to debate it. This shows how weak the debating system is at universities when they do something like this. I seriously think they need to consider changing the name of the group if this is their attitude — they should be embarrassed.
“They should also take the Bangor University connection out of the group, as it puts the university in a bad light. At the end of the day, the university is funded by taxpayers, many of whom will have conservative views. This is a shocking decision by a group that shouldn’t even be allowed to use our city’s name in it, never mind the university’s.”
Celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones added: “What’s happening to free speech in Wales.”
Bangor University said: “The social media post was issued by a student society and not by Bangor University. Student societies are created and run by students through the independent Students’ Union.
“The views expressed by societies are their own and do not reflect University policy. Bangor University remains politically neutral and supports freedom of speech. Bangor University welcomes debate from across the political spectrum.”
