On Monday 19th November, students at Brunel University London turned up to a debate event hosted in celebration of the University's fiftieth anniversary, and then about twenty minutes into it, walked out.
3/4 of the room turns their back & walks out on @KTHopkins in the #bruneldebates.Invite a fascist, expect a response
The stunt was in protest of the controversial Daily Mail columnist Katie Hopkins being invited to the University. The event was a debate on the Welfare State, and Hopkins was a panellist invited by the University to attend.
Around fifty students walked out, leaving the lecture theatre almost empty.
Students walk out silently to protest Katie Hopkins being invited leaving the room almost empty #bruneldebates
This is a sign that we will not accept vile & morally bankrupt people to speak at our uni #bruneldebates
I'm all for celebrating 50 years of @Bruneluni with #Bruneldebates - but not with those who can't represent us or any human with a heart.
Proud to stand for my community and not let bigotry tarnish @Bruneluni ethos of diversity by walking out tonight @KTHopkins #bruneldebates
"It is important to note that the conversation at no point has been about banning Ms Hopkins from speaking on campus, or denying her right to speak. It is instead about saying it is distasteful and incongruous for our University, as part of a 50th celebration event, to provide a platform to someone who adds nothing to the intellectual or academic discourse; and an individual who publicly utters such overtly bigoted views."
3/4 of the room turns their back & walks out on @KTHopkins in the #bruneldebates.Invite a fascist, expect a response
Brunel University London is one of the UK's most diverse university campuses, with over 60% of its students identifying as an ethnic minority. Nearly 30% of Brunel students are Asian.
Katie Hopkins is known to make controversial comments, and is often labelled a racist and a bigot.
The SU's student media published a video on the action, where students explained why they were protesting.
View this video on YouTube
Brunel University London are yet to respond to the action.
The Union of Brunel Students' Communications Manager, Joe Nicell, told the Independent: "It was mainly that we didn't feel that she fitted the debate and she wasn't the right person to be speaking."
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