EUSA slams ‘clearly racist’ Edifess post saying PakSoc ‘marry their cousins’

EUSA is calling for the post to be removed immediately

| UPDATED

EUSA is calling for the removal of an Edifess post claiming the Pakistani Society is an “incestuous” group who “literally get married to their cousins.”

Oona Miller, EUSA’s Vice President Welfare, told The Edinburgh Tab while many posts on Edifess “could be considered inappropriate or in poor taste,” the post about PakSoc is “clearly racist.” She is calling for the moderators to remove the post with immediate effect.

“While Edifess is not formally affiliated with the Students’ Association or the University, as a Sabbatical Officer it is my role to represent our diverse membership” Oona said, “and that is why I feel it is important to not only challenge the content of this post but also the moderators of the page who chose to share it.”

The full post read: “Forget EUTIC. Forget DramaSoc. Forget Rowing. Cleary the most incestuous society is PakSoc. These people literally get married to their cousins”.

At the time of writing, the post is still live on their Facebook page.

Oona told the Edinburgh Tab, “I hope that all those involved take time to reflect on their actions and the negative impact they have had on the Pakistani community here on campus. Students who experience racism, or any other form of discrimination, are always welcome to contact myself or our Advice Place for support.”

In October 2019, Edifess was similarly criticised for publishing a post urging Chinese students to “be more proud of your actual names” and suggesting that using “real names” is “so much better than replacing them”.

PakSoc spoke to The Edinburgh Tab and said “the post can be perceived by some as an innocent act of humour however it is imperative to recognise that irresponsible humour such as this alienate a significant group at this diverse university.”

“We understand that many cherish Edifess as an inclusive platform to share jokes and insights into student life at the university”, said PakSoc, “The anonymous nature of these posts though, can lead to offensive comments being shared without consequences”

“As a society we aim to represent the Pakistani community at this university. We urge Edifess to remove the post.” said PakSoc.

Edifess has stated in the description of the page that “opinions expressed in submissions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the admin team”. The admins of the page have been approached for further comment.