Smash Censorship - University of Ulster accused of McCarthyism
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Friday September 15, 2006 14:36
by Radical Student - Ógra Shinn Féin
osfnational at yahoo dot ie
Barry McColgan 07709187907, Micheal Ferguson 07881960487
Where are young people to express their political opinions?
Sinn Fein Education Spokesperson Michael Ferguson has written to the University of Ulster about their decision to make it virtually impossible for students to set up stalls on Freshers Days across the university campuses.
Students have been in contact with Michael Ferguson informing him that Young Unionist Groups and Ógra Shinn Féin college Associations have been issued with a list of instructions that includes not inviting political representatives of their choice to visit their stalls.
Commenting upon the news Michael Ferguson said,
It is a tragedy that the some Universitys Administrations in the Six Counties have always refused to demonstrate inclusiveness, openness and promote a philosophical ethos of enlightenment that welcomes diversity
This was no more evident that in the early 1970s when in some campuses Civil Rights issues such as Gerrymandering, housing and job discrimination were ignored by Administrative bodies. Indeed, so to was the stand taken by many academics and students alike on the Long Marchs to Derry and Burntollet which should be celebrated as victories in the promotion of a rights based society
In recent years we have witnessed a more conservative element in Universities Administrations as attempts have been made to challenge bilingual and trilingual publications of student publications. This has now been epitomised with the attempt to implement a policy that denies openness and the need for a shared understanding of our past, present as progress our efforts to secured a society enshrined in a Bill Of Rights and undermined by Human Rights and Equality legislation. I want to comment both Ógra Shinn Féin and the Young Unionist Association for protesting against this McCarthyism Censorship.
