Strathclyde UCU claims missing graduation livestream is due to student protest during ceremony

The UCU branch related to the University of Strathclyde has alleged that missing graduation ceremony livestream is not due to technical difficulties, as the university claims, but due to the fact that a student protested during it.

On the 28th of June, Strathclyde University held the graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. During the event, English student Rebecca May crossed the stage without acknowledging the principal, instead wrapping a pink “Support UCU strikes” sash around her neck.

The University of Strathclyde has not uploaded the livestream of this event, claiming that a “technical fault” has prevented them from uploading the footage. Strathclyde UCU hit out at the university for this lack of footage.

I didn't get my real degree today, no cap. @ucu @StrathclydeUCU pic.twitter.com/d58FNpasPB

— Bex (@i_decked_it) June 28, 2023

Strathclyde UCU today called out the University of Strathclyde, likening it to a situation at Stirling University.  Earlier this week, the University of Stirling was accused of editing a graduation video to remove the clip of a student protesting. The university has since uploaded an unedited version of the video, apologising for their “error”.

The UCU branch implied that the university has deliberately not uploaded the footage due to student protest, asking “haven’t they learned” from Stirling University’s controversy.

Surely @UniStrathclyde wouldn't do such a thing…

Haven't they learned from @STIRUNI ?

Oops.

"technical fault"#StrathLife https://t.co/t6Wis0UUSD pic.twitter.com/JKmPmVw8BV

— Strathclyde UCU (@StrathclydeUCU) July 4, 2023

Student protester, Rebecca, last week tweeted contemplating whether Strathclyde University would edit her protest out of the livestream, saying she “did not expect this response” to her protest.

On the University of Strathclyde website, the only ceremony not available is the one containing Rebecca’s viral demonstration.

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No further information has been currently released regarding the “technical fault” that the university claims prevented the upload. The Tab Glasgow reached out to the University of Strathclyde to appeal for evidence of this difficulty but did not receive any confirmation or explanation for the fault.

A spokesperson for the University of Strathclyde said: “Due to a technical fault the recording is unavailable. We regret that students who graduated that day and their families have not been able to enjoy this moment once again.

“A small number of students made similar protests at other ceremonies, recordings of which are available online.”

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