De Montfort University launches ‘urgent’ full-scale racism probe ‘after student posted message saying “black people blame everything on being black” during online criminology lecture’
- Text sent to class read: ‘Black people blame everything on the fact they’re black’
- The message is thought to have been made by a third year criminology student
- Student says he was left ‘physicall shaken,’ amid calls for student be ‘removed’
De Montfort University has launched an ‘urgent’ investigation into allegations of racism after a picture emerged of a student appearing to say ‘black people blame everything on the fact they’re black,’ during an online criminology lecture.
A screenshot of the message, which was sent to a class of around 28 students, has been have been shared more than 700 times since it was posted online yesterday.
The message read: ‘I’m going to sound like an a****** here, but black people have a tendency to blame everything on the fact they are black. Not something else like, “this person is an a****** to everyone.”‘
Within minutes of De Montfort announcing its investigation, enraged Twitter users called for the student to be ‘removed from the university,’ while on student say they ‘do not feel safe,’ in the class.
The student who shared the message, named only as Mike, wrote: ‘These are the types of comments DMU students feel comfortable uttering in a criminology third year lecture.
‘There is no room for comments like this and no excuse for any form of ignorance or misinformation. This is disgusting.’
De Montfort University launched a full-scale racism probe into a message thought to have been sent by a student on Tuesday afternoon – but some are already calling for the student to be ‘removed’
Peers in the class were quick to support Mike, as Twitter user @Hakeem2real wrote: ‘I was left physically shaken by this comment during our class discussion and I, along with many others on the course, do not feel safe remaining in the same class as this person as well as partaking in group activities. Please action this.’
Leicester-based De Montfort University said yesterday: ‘We don’t tolerate racism in any form at DMU and we take instances of racism extremely seriously. We have escalated this information to senior faculty staff to investigate.
‘We want to offer reassurance that we are aware of this issue, that this has been raised with senior management in the faculty and that an urgent investigation is underway.
Students in the third-year De Montfort University criminology lecture say they were ‘physically shaken,’ by the comments which were posted on Twitter yesterday
‘We reiterate that discrimination, harassment and bullying of any kind are not, and will not be, tolerated at DMU.’
Students and Twitter users replied in anger to the university’s comment, with one writing: ‘We would like to see her removed from your university’.
Another added the student should be ‘Stripped of any qualifications that would put her in a position to abuse her authority over black women.’
Students who were in yesterday’s class reacted with fury over the message, Mike (top) who shared the student’s comment, said there is ‘no excuse for any form of ignorance or misinformation’
Speaking today, a 20-year old student who took part in the class and does not wish to be named, said: ‘I was disappointed and confused to be honest, the whole point of the discussion/course is to try and understand why ignorant beliefs such as the ‘black people have a victim mentality’ stereotype are wrong.
‘In a class full of black girls too it was particularly insensitive. It’s just worrying that a third year student studying a social science still has such a belief.
‘I voiced my opinion to the associate Dean of Business and she said she’d be setting up a meeting with the lecturer and associate dean of health and life sciences.
‘What I want personally is for the student to be educated in terms of sensitivity if anything.
‘I feel like you can’t always know or police people’s opinions but you can definitely teach them to keep it to themselves if it is needlessly offensive.’
De Montfort University says it has launched an ‘urgent investigation,’ while a student who was in the class has called for their peer to be ‘educated in terms of sensitivity’
Replying to his own tweet, Mike later added: ‘Just saying it is not mine nor no black persons job to educate you on what’s racist there’s no room for that shit no more.
‘Go educate yourself and think about what you say before you say it, because it’s not ignorance it is racist plain and simple.’
Kaneisha Forde wrote: ‘Genuinely can’t believe she said this.’
De Montfort University had no further comment when approached by MailOnline.