{"id":859,"date":"2018-12-17T18:30:23","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T18:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/?p=859"},"modified":"2019-01-17T18:55:51","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T18:55:51","slug":"letters-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/12\/17\/letters-20\/","title":{"rendered":"LETTERS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear subtext,<\/span><\/p>\n

Many thanks for your recent focus on opposing racism and fascism on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

In relation to this, we cannot do enough to highlight the grave injustice that is the prosecution of the ‘Stansted 15’ for taking courageous direct action to halt charter flight deportations \u2013 a despicable and legally dubious practice that directly endangers the lives of deportees. For the crime of acting in defence of human rights and taking on Theresa May’s beloved ‘hostile environment’, these brave people are being charged with ‘Endangerment of an Aerodrome’, contrary to section 1(2)(b) of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990, which is a very serious charge carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. This has prompted Amnesty International to express ‘serious concern’:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.uk\/press-releases\/stansted-15-amnesty-observe-trial-amid-concerns-anti-deportation-activists<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

It is worth noting that Laura Clayson, former LUSU President, is one of those facing prosecution. I’m sure many on campus will still remember this very popular, principled, energetic young woman. They may also remember that she was, in all probability, reported to police by the University for holding ‘extremist views’ \u2013 namely, that bombing Palestine and fracking should be opposed:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/2014\/dec\/02\/anti-terror-bill-making-radical-ideas-crime-campus<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

(Following the mandatory ‘Prevent’ training, I’m given to understand that labelling your left-wing students ‘extremists’ is a practice officially known as ‘safeguarding’\u2026)<\/span><\/p>\n

For those who desperately want to oppose the upward surge of racism and fascistic ideas in recent years, here is an opportunity: there are many positive things that can be done to support the Stansted 15 in opposing racist Home Office policies, including writing to MPs, letters to the press and donations to support the Stansted 15 and their cause.<\/span><\/p>\n

More information on this can be found here:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/enddeportations.com\/category\/stansted-trial\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EDeportations\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/chuffed.org\/project\/end-deportations-charter-flight-action-trial-related-costs<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In solidarity,<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Witter<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear subtext,<\/span><\/p>\n

There must be a group of people who when they hear\/see\/read the name Mark E Smith automatically think of our esteemed Vice Chancellor. Within this assembly of folk, there will be some who read the New Statesman. This particular weekly journal has a regular slot where a subscriber is invited to select whom they would like to see on the cover of the New Statesman. Imagine how perplexed and concerned (or elated) the said group of people were, when perusing a recent (9-15th November 2018) edition, to discover that Fergal Kinney of Hackney, East London had chosen Mark E Smith.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yours,<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian Paylor<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear subtext,<\/span><\/p>\n

I feel like wading in somewhat on the white t-shirt issue that’s been plastered all over the news. Honestly I’m a little disappointed that some drunken idiots trolling for reactions has caused such an uproar while more physical safety concerns have ended up being swept under the carpet.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my fresher’s week, someone I was living with was displaying outright predatory behaviour towards myself and at least two other girls, and though we all complained nothing was done and we got to feel unsafe in our accommodation for the rest of the year. I know someone else (also female) who was the victim of a physical attack by a male student and to my knowledge, no action was ever taken against the perpetrator.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can’t help feeling like the University cares more about maintaining an illusion of safety, than actually making the University safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Name supplied<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear subtext, Many thanks for your recent focus on opposing racism and fascism on campus. In relation to this, we cannot do enough to highlight the grave injustice that is the prosecution of the ‘Stansted 15’ for taking courageous direct … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[227,355,440,441,312,442,399,437],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-letters","tag-fascists","tag-hostile-environment","tag-issue-184","tag-mark-e-smith","tag-racism","tag-safety-on-campus","tag-stansted-15","tag-white-t-shirts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p99sHo-dR","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":871,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/12\/17\/apologies-for-disrupting-your-service-we-were-saving-lives\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":0},"title":"APOLOGIES FOR DISRUPTING YOUR SERVICE, WE WERE SAVING LIVES","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"December 17 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The 'Stansted 15', a group of peaceful protesters who include former LUSU President Laura Clayson, have been found guilty by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court under the little-used Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 of disrupting the services of an aerodrome, 'in such a way as to endanger or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "news"","block_context":{"text":"news","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":769,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/10\/11\/contributed-article-grounded\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":1},"title":"CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: GROUNDED","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"October 11 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Former LUSU President, Laura Clayson, stands on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court with fourteen other defendants charged with 'terrorism related charges'; 'endangering an airport'. The group known as the Stansted 15 are facing potential life sentences after grounding a charter flight on which 57 people were being deported to Nigeria\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "contributed article"","block_context":{"text":"contributed article","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/contributed-article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":875,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/12\/17\/subtext-184-lifes-an-illusion-love-is-a-dream\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":2},"title":"subtext 184 – \u2018life\u2019s an illusion love is a dream\u2019","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"December 17 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, unconditional offers, stansted 15, lusu referendum, shop news, lost and found, restaurant review, widden, letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL At the beginning of term, subtext reported on the apparent fait accompli\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":779,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/10\/11\/subtext-181-mean-as-you-start-to-go-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":3},"title":"subtext 181 – \u2018mean as you start to go on\u2019","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"October 11 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, evening teaching, gender pay gap, UA92, wellings, stansted 15, heaton-harris, masons, buses, letters. **************************************************** EDITORIAL Over the long hot summer of 2018 market forces required us to undertake radical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":701,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/09\/13\/letters-16\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":4},"title":"LETTERS","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"September 13 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear subtext, Did you know that the university has changed its policy on eye tests? When I had my work glasses two years ago, I had a refund of \u00a374 from the university - \u00a324 for the test and \u00a350 for the glasses. I went to my preferred optician which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "letters"","block_context":{"text":"letters","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1481,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2021\/02\/19\/freedom-of-peach\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":5},"title":"Freedom of Peach","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"February 19 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Just as subtext was preparing to go to press, the Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP fired a culture war salvo that we felt merited further discussion. No doubt eager to divert focus from their contributions to our highest-in-Europe COVID death tally, the government has announced plans to install a national\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "news"","block_context":{"text":"news","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":860,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions\/860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}