Queen Mary’s University Students’ Union has become the latest to call for a ban on sales of the Daily Mail, Sun and Daily Express from campus shops.
The “commercial boycott” motion was passed by the student council on 6 December. It follows a similar motion at City University last month.
Queen Mary’s, which is based in Tower Hamlets, east London, is understood to have two shops on campus, one of which sells newspapers.
The motion said: “The Union should continue to stand in solidarity with refugees, migrants, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups” and that it should not sell or stock the newspapers ‘due to the hateful treatment of these groups by newspapers”’
In a statement, Queen Mary’s University Students’ Union said: “As a Union we strive to support all students at Queen Mary, and this includes ensuring refugees, migrants and other marginalised groups feel welcome.
“It is important to note that this motion is not a ban of these newspapers from Queen Mary campuses and students are more than welcome to bring them onto campus.
“It is a commercial boycott that will ensure the Union does not profit from the sale of these newspapers.”
The Union added: “As with all motions passed at Student Council the details of the proposals will now be fully considered by the Union.”
The London branch of the National Union of Students, NUS London, tweeted a message of support for the motion.
They said: “We support @QMSU passing a motion to ban the Sun, Daily Mail & Express from campuses. There is no place for hate in our unions! #QMCouncil.”
The full motion reads as follows:
Should the Union make profit for The Daily Mail, The Daily Express and The Sun by selling them in its outlets?
What do you want?
- The Union should continue to stand in solidarity with refugees, migrants, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups
- The Union should continue to stand by its mission, vision and values such as “diversity and inclusivity”
- The Union should not sell nor stock The Daily Mail, The Sun or The Daily Express in its venues and outlets due to the hateful treatment of these groups by newspapers
Why do you want it?
- The Union should not tolerate hateful discourse in its venues, including in the publications they sell
- Students should have the power to not finance nor facilitate hateful discourse
- The ‘Stop Funding Hate’ campaign aims to encourage organisations to boycott hateful discourse of marginalised groups
What impact will this have?
- The Union will not sell nor stock The Daily Mail, The Sun or The Daily Express in its venues
- Students who wish to purchase these newspapers for personal or academic use can still do so outside of the Union’s venues
- The venues should use the empty shelf space created to promote the Union’s student media
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