Editorial: The occasional power of protest
We don’t know why Nigel Farage cancelled, but we should be proud that he did
It is a truth universally acknowledged that where students go, protest follows. Or maybe it’s the other way round. Regardless, Cambridge has not been short of either recently. First, it was the Fresher’s Festival. Along with hundreds of other student societies, Cambridge Students for Life (CSFL) manned a small stall in the hope of recruiting overwhelmed freshers to join their...their what, exactly? Club? Discussion group? Whatever it is, The Women’s Campaign, and many others, duly objected.
The ins and outs of whether or not CSFL is a positive or even acceptable organisation in our university has been much debated elsewhere in the student press, but one aspect warrants closer inspection: should CUSU have allowed CSFL a stall?
In his piece for Varsity, Hesham Mashhour echoed the sentiments of many others when he answered no. Abortion is an emotive, and for many people, triggering, issue. There is not space here to explain again the reasons why not all topics are fair game for “discussion”. New (or any) students should have a right not to be confronted with graphic imagery and offers of “forgiveness” as they peruse the tea society and Korfball stalls.
However, the question of CSFL’s presence at the fair is in fact redundant: as CUSU President Helen Hoogewerf-Mccomb pointed out, CUSU by default hosts all groups that are approved by the University as a student society. This was not an active decision. Rather, CSFL, as with many other pro-life organisations around the country, slipped into the mainstream under a guise of debate.
Nigel Farage was similarly quiet this week. For a man who seems to thrive on saying things loudly, his planned appearance in Cambridge was remarkably low profile. However unlike CSFL, Farage’s subtlety was not successful. Whether or not you agreed with them, the speed at which students and Cambridge residents alike organised protests was nothing if not impressive. In the midst of all this agitation, the event was mysteriously cancelled. It is not clear whether this was on the impetus of Farage or Haslam – judging by the latter’s belligerent defence of the invite, I would guess it was Farage who got cold feet.
Protesting is a noble student tradition; our freedom to object must be used. And as this week has shown, sometimes, just sometimes, it works.
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