Five male students have been suspended from the university of Exeter after being exposed trading racist and sexist slurs on a WhatsApp chat, leading to a major investigation by the university, and police involvement.
UPDATE: Hill Dickinson LLP, which had offered a training contract to one of the men involved, has now revoked their offer.
The law firm released a statement earlier today saying that the individual has been told that his offer, which was due to start in September 2019, has been terminated. They commented saying they were ‘deeply disturbed’ by the allegations.
The messages were sent by members of the university’s Bracton Law Society (BLS) and joked about minorities, women, and rape on the ‘Dodgy Blokes Soc’ group chat.
Screen shots of the ‘vile’ group chat were published by law student Arsalan Motavali, 21, last night on Facebook and he added: “If you’re going to be a racist, be a racist, just be prepared to face the consequences that come with being such a person.”
The comments were made by a range of first year law students to committee members of the BLS.
One committee member, who was offered a training contract with Hill Dickinson LLP, repeatedly used racial slurs such as ‘c**n’, ‘p*ki’, and called Muslims ‘sheep raping bumbaclarts in sandals’.
His offer, which was due to commence in September 2019, has now been revoked.
He went on to joke about buying ‘blacks in bulk’ for a South African social, gang raping women, and calls someone a ‘stupid little arse licking p*ki’.
He argues that gay marriage should be illegal and says, ‘Blacks are useless tree ornaments’.
Another committee member, who is a Brand Ambassador to another law firm based in London, said that ‘you only need to go as far as Mauritania to get slaves’.
One member, who seems to be from an ethnic background himself used words like ‘dirty arab’, said ‘brown tings are dead’, and ‘I will lead the charge against my own colour’.
A first year Law student seems to call London Mayor Sadiq Khan a ‘cancer’, and calls for a ‘race war’ and to ‘bomb the mosques’.
He also calls for a South African social so they can ‘add in gang rape’. He also made a rape joke about a daughter with cancer.
Ciara Walsh, 19, a second year Law LLB student was targeted by the men but has said that she does not know them. She said: “I have never been introduced to or conversed with any of the perpetrators. They are merely names on my course.”
She went on to say: “I couldn’t believe what vile, twisted comments these boys were capable of mustering up. I cannot even begin to imagine how it must feel to be a member of an ethnic minority and to read such vulgar comments emanating from fellow course mates and university members.”
Exeter University has responded by suspending the students involved while launching a major investigation, stating that full disciplinary action will be taken.
A Devon and Cornwall police spokesperson told The Panoptic that: “Police are aware of this incident and are liaising with staff at the University of Exeter.”
This comes at a time of heightened tensions on British campuses, and Mr Motavali noted in his post that he was compelled to expose the messages after racism at Nottingham Trent University. Similar incidents have occurred at Warwick, Bournemouth, and Birmingham.
Facebook has taken down the original posts as they contradict their community standards. Mr Motavali has commented saying “I did not delete the post and will do whatever I can to try and get it back up.”
The article will be updated as events occur.
