Image may contain: People, Clothing, Hat, Apparel, Person, Human

250 sign open letter to Exeter Uni over the handling of the ExeHonestly scandal

Students say the university are scrambling to save their reputation


Over 250 people have signed an open letter written by an anonymous Exeter student on Change.org, urging the university to change how they deal with issues "regarding racism or PC culture."

The letter expresses "the widespread discontent of students" at the way an "accumulation of issues" including the ExeHonestly situation was handled.

The letter begins with a disclaimer that it is not a petition, and students are urged to sign and add any positive experiences they had with ExeHonestly, to a google doc, which will also be submitted to the university.

Image may contain: Word, Label, Text

One of the original posts is a reference to a statistic circulated by white supremacist online communities, who claim that "despite making up only 13 per cent of the population, blacks make up 52 per cent of crimes"

The letter says institutionalised racism must be targeted at its origin and that the university cannot keep "cutting the branches off a rotten tree" hoping that it will fix the roots.

The university's actions are described as "scrambling attempts" to save their reputation after the Bracton Law Society scandal.

The letter claims that ExeHonestly was an outlet to "many of those who felt marginalised or disenfranchised by the university system" and was vital to ensure a sense of community.

The university is urged to do better and tackle the underlying root of the ignorance and racism at Exeter, rather than "temporarily sweeping the issue under the rug."

At the end of the letter, the student says: "We want to ensure that this type of horrible behaviour doesn’t happen online and on campus, which will take a bit more than turning a blind eye to what people have to say.

"We would be happy to work with you to achieve this and are thoroughly disappointed you would not engage in dialogue with the Exehonestly admins as shown by email screenshots."

Image may contain: Text

The second offensive post was a combination of two white supremacist symbols. The first being 14, which is shorthand for the fourteen-word slogan "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The second is 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler"; H being the eigth letter of the alphabet

A University of Exeter spokesperson said: "The ExeHonestly administrators are responsible for the content they post on their site and on multiple occasions posted offensive and harmful content.

"The latest ExeHonestly incident is now a police matter and likely the real reason for their closure.

"The University of Exeter is a community of over 25,000 people and we will always strive to make it a safe, inclusive and welcoming place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

Read the full open letter to the university here.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

ExeHonestly is shutting down following racist post controversy

Exeter Uni says ExeHonestly are responsible for racist posts

Exeter Uni reports ExeHonestly for allowing "Nazi propaganda"