More than 200 Cambridge University students sign letter saying they 'feel ... trends now
View
comments
More than 200 students at Cambridge University have penned an open letter citing concerns for their 'safety' after the Conservative association booked out their college's hall for a dinner.
Undergraduates raised the concerns in a letter to former Whitehall mandarin Simon McDonald, who is now Master of Christ's College, Cambridge.
The Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) booked Christ's ornate hall for their annual 'Chairman's Dinner' on November 25.
It means the dinner that was planned in the hall to mark the college's celebrations for 'Bridgemas' - the Cambridge version of Christmas - will have to take place elsewhere.
In the lengthy letter to Lord McDonald', trainee solicitor Ossie Visick, the president of Christ's Junior Common Room (JCR), questioned why CUCA was allowed to book the hall, given that it is used on the same date very year for the Bridgemas event.
He accused CUCA of having a 'polarising reputation' and said students have 'raised concerns about feeling unsafe' because of it.
More than 200 students at Cambridge University have penned an open letter citing concerns for their 'safety' after the Conservative association booked out their college's hall for a dinner. Above: Christ's College, Cambridge
He said he and the fellow signatories object to their 'disrespectful and insensitive behaviour' and added: 'The college needs to balance its commitment to freedom of speech with its commitment to making our students feel safe, valued and respected.'
The student also claimed CUCA events have a reputation for being 'destructive affairs'.
The student went on: 'To summarise our concerns, we regret that the college has continually prioritised this external (and illegitimately organised) event hosted by a distasteful, provocative society over an internal tradition that is valued by our community.
'We are calling upon the college to fulfil its commitment to
