LSE rugby club suspended over ‘derogatory’ messages displayed on members’ T-shirts

The London School of Economics (LSE) men’s rugby club has been suspended after members wore T-shirts containing “derogatory” messages.

LSE Students’ Union suspended the men’s rugby club in March, and has confirmed it will not play for the rest of the academic year.

The incident took place at the Three Tuns bar on the university’s Holborn campus. Complaints were issued that members of the rugby club wore T-shirts with offensive messages.

The Students’ Union has not revealed what the messages on the T-shirts were.

Speaking about the incident, the LSE men’s rugby club told The London Tab: “LSE men’s rugby has been banned from playing any matches since March 2026.

“The students’ union took action in response to T-shirts worn at the campus bar, The Three Tuns, a popular spot for LSE students. Multiple reports claimed ‘derogatory’ comments were written upon several T-shirts, which have not been released by the students’ union.”

The City Varsity, between LSE and King’s College, is a huge event every year, with more than 1,000 fans coming to watch. It still went ahead last March, but without participation from LSE men’s rugby, who were replaced by an Oxford team. The women’s rugby team continued to participate as usual.

Complaints flooded from team members, who felt the whole team were blamed for mistakes made by a few people.

One team member expressed  frustration, saying: “It is unfair the Student’ Union has punished the entire team, even those who genuinely love rugby like myself and have a paid a hefty £140 for the year, but haven’t participated in these incidents.

“It’s understandable that Varsity has been suspended, but stopping the club’s ability to participate in matches and training make it difficult for those who were simply a part of the club for sport.”

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The team was previously banned back in 2014, after circulating a seven-page leaflet that contained sexist and homophobic language. Contents included sexist opinions on women in sport, and “derogatory” descriptions of other students.

Via Google Maps

LSE Students’ Union released a statement, explaining its decision to suspend the team. This came after an investigation was carried out, in which it concluded: “The investigation established clear evidence that conduct linked to the club failed to meet the standards required of Students’ Union members.

“Such behaviour contradicted our Code of Conduct, violated explicit instructions that had been communicated to the club’s leadership, and presented serious risks to student wellbeing and safety.

“Our decisions reflect our fundamental responsibility to protect students and our absolute intolerance of behaviours that pose a risk to any student’s wellbeing and safety.

“We encourage student participation in sporting and social pursuits but will not hesitate to take decisive action when the evidence demonstrates that our standards have been compromised, ensuring all activity is conducted safely and responsibly.”

An LSE spokesperson said: “LSE is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential free of all types of harassment.

“We take reports of harassment and bullying extremely seriously and encourage any member of the LSE community who has experienced or witnessed this to get in touch via one of our many channels, which allow students to make reports and access specialist support.”

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Featured image via Google Maps