SU forced to apologise for ‘culturally insensitive’ Day of the Dead night

Royal Holloway Student Union has issued a formal apology after complaints were made about their Day of the Dead themed halloween night.

After receiving complaints on the Facebook event page, the SU posted a public apology on their page stating they “got it wrong. As simple as that.”

They said: “This event was launched without fully thinking about the cultural issues surrounding the sacred Mexican festival” and have since “removed all the branding related to the event”. The Union also make it very clear they value freedom of speech on campus and believe “the open debate is good for the student community in recognising and respecting other cultures”.

The SU in all its glory

They have now rebranded the sold-out event, naming it “Escape Halloween Special.”

Sam, a second-year history student said: “I just think it’s a bit of fun, the SU certainly didn’t intend to offend anyone.” Paco, a second-year IR student agreed, “I think the intention behind the event was clearly in good nature, and at worst it’s an oversight. However, in this day and age those kinds of oversights aren’t entirely acceptable.”

Understandably the Mexican and Latin American community on campus felt strongly about this “oversight”.

English second year Maxime Pons-Webster commented “I was absolutely appalled when I saw the event on Facebook. The SU showed complete disregard for my culture and the significance of the festival to their Mexican students. After complaining I’m obviously relieved they have edited the event, but given that there are still students thinking this is ‘political correctness’ or ‘whining’, the SU really should issue a statement that educates the student population.”