‘We will never agree’: Societies react to Reform UK on campus with boycott

Political societies at the University of Edinburgh have agreed to boycott the arrival of Reform UK on campus.

The boycott was signed by the presidents of the university’s main political societies: The Greens, Liberal Association, Labour Students and the YES society.

Their statement outlined “concern” about the “far-right” party’s arrival on campus, saying: “Reform UK is a political party that thrives on the divisiveness that we have worked to avoid at the university level.”

The various political societies at Edinburgh University regularly host joint social events and cross-party roundtable debates.

The Reform UK society is not officially registered through the Student Association (EUSA) and advertises itself on Instagram as a society for students across all of Edinburgh’s universities. They advertise themselves as open to “Patriotic Edinburgh university students who want to save Britain”, being open to “Students across UOE, HWU, Napier and Queen Margaret’s.”

The society said in an Instagram post: “We are the party of common sense, we celebrate everything our ancestors fought for and we fight for Britains’ future.”

The leaders of Edinburgh University’s political socieites will boycott the Reform society

The full statement from the political societies involved in the boycott reads: “The University of Edinburgh rightly plays host to a diversity of political opinions. We are proud of the efforts that have been made over the last few years to bring the political societies on campus closer together, and to eliminate divisiveness that is so often prevalent in national politics.

“We regularly work together to host friendly social events, panel discussions on underrepresented voices in politics, and spirited but polite debates between our respective leaders.

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“Having said that, we are deeply concerned about the arrival of Reform UK on campus in the Edinburgh Reform Society. Reform UK is a political party that thrives on the divisiveness that we have worked to avoid at a university levl. It is a party that peddles misinformation designed to stoke fear and hatred against the most vulnerable in our society.

“It is a party that is funded and supported by right-wing extremists and billionaires, both in the UK and abroad, many of whom display little concern for democracy or for the inalienable rights of human beings.

“We are proud that across our parties, both in our committees, our memberships, and our wider political representation, we are able to be a home for everyone: Women, LGBTQ+ people, migrants and asylum seekers, people with disabilities, and every other type of diversity that makes a society worth living in.

“We are disturbed at what the arrival of Reform on campus might mean for our minority members, and fear that their rhetoric will only increase the levels of discrimination and violence that our members already experience every day.

“While the Edinburgh Reform Society says that they ‘don’t care about your race, ethnicity, or orientation,’ the actions of Farage, Tice, and their MPs say otherwise.

“We, the undersigned have been in discussions for many months now, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Reform and their toxic far-right ideas arrived on our campus.

“We have agreed that we must put aside our political differences and act as one in resisting the actions of Reform. We have therefore resolved that, while we are the leaders of our respective societies, Reform will not be invited to any cross-party events we organise.

“We will never agree on everything. Politics is all about a healthy contestation of ideas on how we best improve our world. But what we can all agree on is that politics should never make anyone feel targeted or unwelcome. That is the politics of Reform, and it is for that reason we stand united against them.”

Reform UK, Edinburgh Reform Society and the EPU were approached for comment.

Featured image via Edi Uni Greens and Reform UK.