Cambridge students told to bar DSK from debate
PRESSURE was growing on the Cambridge Union last night to reverse its controversial decision to invite Dominique Strauss-kahn to speak to its members.
Anti-violence groups and students alike have called on the debating society to reconsider its offer to the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund.
Strauss-kahn, 62, who is facing a civil case over the alleged rape of a hotel maid in New York and is now being investigated about a prostitution ring, has confirmed he will address students next month.
Cambridge University students’ union women’s campaign had already attacked the invitation, saying it ‘trivialised’ the distress suffered by sex attack victims. A petition it launched is also growing in support, with more than 500 signatures collected so far.
And in a fresh attack, it said hosting Strauss-kahn ‘feeds an existent culture of silence and shame around rape, in which alleged perpetrators are given a platform mostly denied to
‘They should issue an apology’
survivors of sexual violence’. It added: ‘Free speech is about more than inviting rich, white, powerful men [in this case an alleged rapist] to define the Union’s term card year after year.’
The Cambridge Union has defended the invitation, saying Strauss-kahn is ‘exceptionally well qualified’ to talk about the state of the eurozone and the global economy.
But Holly Dustin, of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: ‘Dominique Strauss-kahn is a powerful global figure who has been accused of a string of sexual offences and is still under investigation for his role in a prostitution ring.
‘By inviting him to speak, the Cambridge Union risks colluding with attitudes that condone or trivialise violence against women.’
Caitlin Doherty, 21, an English literature student at St John’s College, said: ‘For the Cambridge Union to defend their decision on the grounds that students would be interested is ridiculous.
‘I would like to see them withdraw the invitation and issue an apology to the women who say they have been victims of this man for the lack of respect they have shown them.’
Susy Langsdale, 22, who is studying history of art at King’s College, said: ‘It dismisses the fact that he is in the middle of a trial about his own sexual morality and endorses him. You can’t separate the economics from his personal behaviour.’
But Katie Lam, president of the Cambridge Union, last night again insisted the talk will go ahead on March 4.