Last night an event organised by the KCL Libertarian Society had to be cancelled. The Police attended and we are fully co-operating with their investigation.
Last night an event organised by the KCL Libertarian Society invited controversial speakers Carl Benjamin and Yaron Brook. The event had to be cancelled after some people forced their way into Kings College London. The Police attended and we are fully co-operating with their investigation. KCLSU condemns the use of violence in any situation.
Universities create environments in which debate from all sides on issues of political, scientific, moral, ethical and religious significance is possible, and King’s is no exception. Our role is to ensure that all parties feel safe and secure in expressing their views without fear of violence of intimidation. We take our responsibilities to provide a safe environment for free, peaceful and respectful dialogue very seriously. KCLSU and King’s will be reviewing the incident to decide on appropriate action to be taken.
Responding to the incident, Momin Saqib, President of KCLSU said, "I am appalled by the acts that were perpetrated in King's College London yesterday evening. I strongly respect and encourage the right to freedom of speech, the right to challenge each other and the right to peaceful protest. It is unfortunate that the event was marred by violence by people who took an extreme and an unacceptable approach. My heart goes out to the guards who got physically and mentally hurt and I wish them a speedy recovery.
Universities are places to facilitate intellectually stimulating discussions, environments for constructive debates, places where ideas get tested, which are all done in a bid for the advancement of human knowledge and the betterment of our society. However, any actions which contravene peaceful protest will not be accepted.
Hatred: whether it is based on - race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, trans status, socio-economic status, or ideology or culture is totally unacceptable and I strongly condemn it and I will always QUESTION it.
Everyone has the right to protest peacefully but any forms of aggression and violence are completely unacceptable."
If you are a student affected by the events and would like confidential independent advice please contact [email protected].
If you are a student who would like to make a formal complaint please contact [email protected]