Oxford college bans Christian Union
An Oxford college has banned the Christian Union from its freshers’ fair on the grounds that it would be “alienating” for students of other religions, and constitute a “microaggression”. The organiser of Balliol’s fair argued Christianity’s historic use as “an excuse for homophobia and certain forms of neo-colonialism” meant that students might feel “unwelcome” in the college if the Christian Union had a stall.
AN OXFORD college has banned the Christian Union from its freshers’ fair on the grounds that it would be “alienating” for students of other religions, and constitute a “micro-aggression”.
The organiser of Balliol’s fair argued Christianity’s historic use as “an excuse for homophobia and certain forms of neo-colonialism” meant that students might feel “unwelcome” in the college if the Christian Union (CU) had a stall. Freddy Potts, vice-president of Balliol’s Junior Common Room (JCR) committee, said that if a representative from the CU attended the fair, it could cause “potential harm” to freshers.
Mr Potts, writing on behalf of the JCR’S welfare committee, told Lucy Talbot, the CU representative at Balliol, that their “sole concern is that the presence of the CU alone may alienate incoming students”.
In email correspondence, seen by
The Daily Telegraph, he went on: “This sort of alienation or micro-aggression is regularly dismissed as not important enough to report, especially when there is little to no indication that other students or committee members may empathise, and inevitably leads to further harm of the already most vulnerable and marginalised groups.
“Historically, Christianity’s influence on many marginalised communities has been damaging in its methods of conversion and rules of practice, and is still used in many places as an excuse for homophobia and certain forms of neo-colonialism.”
He said that barring the Christian Union “may be a way of helping to avoid making any students feel initially unwelcome within Balliol”.
Initially he said the JCR committee wanted the fair to be a “secular space”, explaining that since he “couldn’t guarantee every major belief system” would have stalls at the fair, students from other religions may “suffer” if their faith is not represented. However, Mr Potts later conceded that he would allow a “multi-faith” stall at the fair, with information about various university religious societies. Student representatives of the CU were barred from attending in person.
The move sparked a backlash among students, with the JCR passing a motion on Sunday condemning the committees’ ban as a “violation of free speech, a violation of religious freedom, and sets dangerous precedents regarding the relationship between specific faiths and religious freedom”.
A Balliol College spokesman said: “We are pleased to see that the students themselves have now resolved this matter.
“Following last night’s JCR motion, the Christian Union will be offered a stall at future freshers’ fairs.
“Balliol is a tolerant, friendly college where students of all faiths and none are free to worship and express their beliefs openly.”