University of Leeds and Leeds City Council condemn far-right riots in new statements

The University of Leeds and Leeds City Council have released statements in response to the far-right riots which took place in Leeds city centre and across the UK over the past week.

The university’s statement outlines their disapproval of recent events and urges staff and students who are feeling afraid to seek support.

The statemenr read: “The University of Leeds condemns the violence, racism and intolerance that has taken place in towns and cities across the UK in recent days, including in the city of Leeds.”

The university goes on to highlight its “values of collaboration, compassion, inclusivity, and integrity”, acknowledging the multiculturalism of the city, “home to more than 160 nationalities”.

The University of Leeds’ statement

On Wednesday 7th August the Leeds City Council also issued a statement, “calling for unity and acceptance”.

It read: “As a city, we stand united in our absolute condemnation of racism, intolerance and prejudice in all its forms and there is simply no place anywhere in the UK for the type of appalling violence we have seen in some towns and cities over the past week.”

The statement concludes with a call for the people of Leeds “to come together and do exactly what the people of Leeds always do best –  look after each other.”

The Leeds City Council’s full statement can be read here.

Individual Schools within the University of Leeds have also reached out to its students, including the School of Law, Business School and School of English to inform students of the University’s statement, with the Business School adding that in light of the “awful scenes of violence and racism” they wish to highlight that they “value and appreciate every one” of its students.

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On Tuesday 6th August the Leeds University Union released their own statement, highlighting that “violence in any form is unacceptable” and strive to “provide support for [the] student community” in order for them to feel “valued and safe”.

The statement provided by the LUU

Both the University of Leeds and the Leeds University Union encourage those seeking support to:

• Complete the disclosure form or email [email protected]
• Reach out to the LUU’s Help and Support Team
• Reach out to the University’s  counselling and wellbeing services
• Download the SafeZone app

The university’s full statement can be found here and the LUU’s full statement can be read here.

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