A student who complained about a slave auction being held by the University of Bedfordshire Psychology Society was told to remove her comments from the internet as the society did not want bad publicity.
The slave auction is being held this Friday, auctioning off students and staff ‘to make them do what you desire’.
Second year student Nelly Estrela wrote to the Psychology Society president voicing her concerns and was told there was no problem as the Student Union activities president and University had both approved the event.
Nelly said: “This is disgusting. This trivialises slavery and makes a mockery of ongoing suffering implicated by racial prejudice and discrimination. These people can attend the event, pretend to be ‘slaves’ and go home and forget all about it, meanwhile, freed slaves were segregated from public places, such as schools and parks, forced into ‘ghettos’ and forced into poverty.
“For people to overlook this and to palm it off as ‘just a joke’ is inexcusable. Luton is supposedly a place of great diversity, but the things I’m seeing greatly contradict that.”
Nelly, a broadcast journalism student, said her classmates were also offended by the event.
An Psychology Society spokesman said to Nelly: “I appreciate your concerns however the SU activities president has passed this event. The event is about making your lecturer make a fool of themselves so don’t be alarmed.”
They then asked her to take down any comments she had written on the internet, saying “As my society is the most successful and largest at the entire University of Beds and we do not want bad publicity. Feel free to attend the event as the poster indicates all students are welcome.”
A University of Bedfordshire spokesman has been contacted for comment.
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