Let’s recap Uni of York’s clubbing boycott: Students fight against spiking

Last month, students in York boycotted a popular club due to an alleged rise in spiking.

A student run Instagram account was created to support the boycotts, calling to Club Salvation and the York SU to take action to ensure student safety.

The boycotts resulted in the early closure of Club Salvation on March 7th, before the venue announced it would not open on March 14th and March 21st. The venue explained this decision was made following the continued unease in the community and reiterated its commitment to listening to student voices.

This comes after claims of alleged spiking incidents have recently risen. Despite the recent claims, University of York SU has denied an increase in formal reports of spiking.

The motive behind the boycott

One of the key promoters and organisers of this boycott is the Instagram account @yorcan.makeadifference, which is advocating for the Student Union to take action to further protect students.

Firstly, it asks that YorkSU ensures all clubs it partners with provides students with adequate anti-spiking measures, such as drink covers and bottle stoppers, to avoid promoting places where students won’t be safe.

In its statement to The York Tab, the manager of the account also claims that they have never seen a NightSafe volunteer on a night out, despite them being promoted during Freshers’ Week events. Students have claimed that they didn’t even know about the services NightSafe provide, such as spiking test kits.

Additionally, there is demand from the account for clubs to make the Ask for Angela scheme more clearly signposted, and make sure that all staff are trained in it sufficiently so students have a safe way out of uncomfortable situations.

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When asked what inspired them to take on the role of organising the boycott, the voice behind YorCan said: “I simply wanted to do this to have the chance to make a real difference in the community that has felt like home since day one”.

They added: “Anything I can do to help protect other girls, boys or anyone else, I will be taking that opportunity”.

Club Salvation responded with a statement

Following the successful boycott on March 7th, Club Salvation posted its response to student concerns in a series of Instagram Stories.

Its statement involved a commitment to improved security and student support, enhanced safety measures, combatting drink spiking, and weekly management meetings to address student safety concerns.

Such measures include dedicated welfare officers, body cameras worn by all security staff, bag searches, 38 internal and external CCTV cameras, and a “more diverse and approachable security team”.

York Party Network also recently released a statement reiterating the importance of student safety, describing additional training for door staff at their events.

In an exclusive statement to The York Tab, Yor Party Network outlined its policy on spiking and security measures in place to protect clubbers: “We currently have in place drinks covers, extra security, bag checks, more frequency venue checks throughout the night, testing kits and regular, hands on meetings with door staff to make sure they’re fully aware and know what to look out for.”

York students believe that more measures be made for their safety

However, students spoken to by The York Tab have said that they don’t feel reassured by these measures. Many of these alleged cases of spiking have been accompanied by past claims that door staff and bouncers have often worsened things, with their behaviour reportedly making students feel less safe.

One student told The York Tab that they wouldn’t feel confident reporting an incident to YorkSU on account of its partnership with Club Salvation, as they feel it might not be fully investigated.

Freddy Russell, York SU’s Community and Wellbeing Officer, re-emphasised the importance of taking the official SU steps in response to spiking incidents: “If anyone has experienced anything that made them feel unsafe on a YorkSU club night, we urge them to report it on our reporting form. This helps us understand more about students’ experience on our nights, give clearer information to students, and make changes to address concerns where necessary.”

What’s the situation now?

The buzz of boycotting appears to have settled, with Salvation relaunching Friday Paradiso on March 28th.

Student Wednesdays appear to have been unaffected, with a spokesperson from Salvation telling The York Tab that the club was full on Wednesday 12th March, another official student night.

YorCan’s spokesperson told The York Tab that the boycott is ineffective if not repeated: “The initiation of this movement really inspired [them] after seeing what we as a student body can achieve”.

Club Salvation also held two feedback sessions on campus in The Lounge on Friday 14th March and Tuesday 18th March, inviting students to directly express their concerns and experiences.

York Student Union, Club Salvation and York Party Network were contacted for comment.