Summary: Exeter University moved to expel the students involved in a WhatsApp group message filled with racist and other inappropriate comments.
After a series of comments in a WhatsApp group message were made public on Facebook, garnering publicity across the globe, Exeter University has finally expelled or given severe consequences to the students involved in the racist and bigoted comments, according to the Daily Mail.
The students involved in the group message were members of the Bracton law society. They made references to slavery and gang rape, even posting a photo of London Mayor Sadiq Khan at the Spurs’ White Hart Lane Stadium with the captions, “I’m disgusted,” and “browns don’t get it.”
The students involved were Matthew Bell, Ash Chandraharan, Alex Crawford, James Cranstone and Bailey Grant. Vice Chancellor Sir Steve Smith has either expelled, suspended or given “significant sanctions” to the students involved.
Bell is the only student has apologized for his part in the group chat. He also lost a job offer from Hill Dickinson, where he was set to start work next September. He said, “I will not attempt to excuse and deny any of the statements I have made. The comments, which I shall not repeat, are inexcusable and undeniably wrong. I would like to make it publicly known that I do not honestly believe any of the things I have said.”
Some of the comments he made in the chat include, “Browns don’t get it,” “He’s such a stupid little a** licking p**i,” and “Being chase by a n****r is every man’s worst nightmare.”
Crawford, the elected pro-bono officer of the Bracton Law Society, commented, “you only need to go as far as Mauritania to get slaves.”
Chandraharan, co-captain of the society’s football team, wrote that he would “lead the charge against his own colour.”
Cranstone, a former Waitrose worker and second year law student, stated, “Guess who got a placement n***a sluts.”
Grant, a first year student, commented, “This is why we need a race war. Sorry Ash, sacrifices have to be made, nothing personal.” Grant was a tutor at Explore Learning and was a Secretary at EC Obstetric Legal & Training Limited.
Fellow student Arsalan Motavali was the one to call attention to their comments. He originally started the group chat last year but was removed as the admin when other students took over the group. He took screenshots of the comments and then posted them on Facebook.
University vice-chancellor Professor Sir Steve Smith said in a letter to the student body, “These are very severe consequences, which have not been reached lightly, but there is no place at our university for any type of racist, bigoted, abusive or harassing behaviour. I would like to thank those staff and students that have spoken out and come forward to share their experiences.”
The university is still recovering from the ordeal. The society cancelled its year end gala, issuing an apology for “the actions of a few individuals [which] have negatively impacted our members. …Following discussions with the University of Exeter’s Students’ Guild, we have reached the decision that it is no longer appropriate for us to hold our annual End of Year Gala in light of what has transpired.”
Law firm Hill Dickinson stated. “We are deeply disturbed by the messages that were brought to our attention last night and would like to stress that the views expressed by the individual and others involved in this matter do not in any way represent the views of this firm and we absolutely do not condone this behaviour.”
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