The president of London’s biggest students’ union today pledged to launch an investigation after a ‘blacked-up’ party-goer won a fancy dress competition at a union event.
Michael Chessum, president of the University of London Union, spoke out after students complained that a man wearing red devil horns and with a blacked-up face won a bottle of wine for his costume at a Halloween party thrown by the union.
The man, believed to be a student, paraded on stage alongside other students wearing fancy-dress, and was pronounced as the winner after getting the biggest cheer from the crowd.
Mr Chessum said: “What he was wearing was offensive. It is blacking up. There is no defence for blacking up.” The union is trying to identify the student as part of the investigation.
Maham Hashni, ULU’s black students officer, said: “Going with a face blacked up has racist connotations, there is no other way to put it. His face was black with red lips and his arms were red. It didn’t make any sense. For his costume to be complete blacking up was not necessary.”
Ms Hashni said the man should not have been allowed into the building for the party on Thursday. She added: “We have a safer space policy. If someone came in a Nazi uniform they would have been stopped.
"If someone came in stark naked they wouldn’t have been allowed in. If we have rules and regulations we pass for students because we want our spaces to be self regulated and that is not listened to the whole point of having a union for the students ceases to have any significance.
“People shouldn’t be in a space where they feel threatened or upset.”
Mr Chessum said students should have more control of the events held on union premises. It comes after the controversial song ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke was played at a ULU club night despite the union banning the song saying it trivialised rape.
Mr Chessum said: “Our main response to this will be trying to bring the commercial arm of ULU more under control of students and officers.
“Often the problem with student unions is that the bars and cafes are not really run by students.”
