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Nottingham SU Council back racist

Anti-racist | 15.10.2008 19:01 | Anti-racism | Education

Yesterday Nottingham SU Council voted down a no confidence motion against racist Education Officer, Craig Cox. Cox held up a banner reading 'Bring Back Slavery' at an NUS meeting during the summer. In spite of a mass lobbying campaign, including a 60 strong picket of the council meeting, the vote for the motion fell well short of the two-thirds required to pass it.

Picket 1
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Cox held up the offensive slogan at an national training event for incoming student exec members. He was subsequently investigated for race hate by North Yorkshire police and by the NUS. Cox arrogantly told the Daily Mail that he was the victim of a 'witchhunt' conducted by the 'left-wing zealots' who compose the NUS - the organisation he was supposed to be representing!

Black and anti-racist campaigners who were insulted and abused by Cox's behaviour started a campaign to have him removed from his position of influence as soon as the news came through all of this. An NUS investigation into Cox's behaviour has concluded that he has breached equal opportunities guidelines and will be banned from all non-democratic NUS meetings. Having remained silent (apart from the aforementioned outburst) for 6 weeks after the incident Cox suddenly made a very late apology ( http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/news/article/6001/401/). Cox claimed that it was all a 'genuine mistake':

'I did not write the placard in question; I did not intentionally hold it up and I have never defended the placard's contents.'

We were supposed to believe that Craig either cannot read or is in the habit of waving placards whose content he knows nothing about.

Craig claimed to be 'someone who has consistently fought against discrimination' and brushed aside the deep offence he had caused with calls to forgive him and move on.

This 'apology' was seen as perhaps more offensive than the original statement by speakers at a meeting to discuss the anti-racist response to Craig's actions called earlier in the month. Those who are the descendants of slaves cannot simply 'move on' whilst they are taunted with with threats to revive this historic crime. Especially when those responsible for the threats are allowed to keep their jobs. If Craig had really been sorry surely the obvious course would have been to accept that he was wrong and resign?

Successful lobbying of the SU Council led to a meeting to discuss a vote of no confidence in Cox. 2000 letters in support of the motion were sent to Council members (considerably more than the 1200 votes that got him into his position in the first place). The Chair of the meeting, who is also a member of the Conservative Society and a personal friend of Cox's, decided to make it a closed meeting, so only the 60 members of the Council could debate the issue. A two-thirds majority was required to pass the motion but only one third voted for it. Cox is to remain in his post.

Students are disgusted that the SU Council has supported an individual who has deeply insulted black people and attacked his own union. He is reputed to be a careerist who is using his position as an exec member to further his political ambitions within the Tory party, and therefore unlikely to resign. The sham democracy of Nottingham Students Union has failed its members once again.

Anti-racist

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Be reasonable

16.10.2008 00:12

The man did not intentionally hold up the placard. He held it up accidentally. You know, the way you do. Happens all the time. "Ooops! holding up a placard, am I? Never noticed. How did that happen?"

Why can't you just accept Mr Cox's persuasive explanation and move on? I would say this young man is destined for higher things, probably in the House of Commons or one of our esteemed merchant banking houses.

Stroppyoldgit


Missing the joke

16.10.2008 11:47

First, please don't say you've never held up a placard without reading it. During the Lebanon crises there were many people, mostly Muslims, trying desperately to force "We are all Hezbollah" placards into people's hands.

Anyhow, the matter at hand is basically a joke, and points out how utterly reactionary and victimist many student campaigners are. Those hell-bent on ruining any joke because someone might get offended should get a life. If the Tory in question was seeking to raise a response, which is more likely, he's succeeded because of your stupidity. Get over yourselves, get a sense of humour and get a life.

Unamused


The circumstances

16.10.2008 12:20

He was assisting at a training event, the objective of which was to teach newly elected students union officers how to handle crisis situations. One scenario used was a gathering of rabid racists and he held the placard as part of that rabble. It's not too far fetched - remember Nick Griffin speaking at the Oxford Union - there will have been some in the audience who will sympathise with the view expressed on that placard.

Last week at work I assisted with a fire fighting course for new employees. Obviously I should be sacked and jailed as an arsonist - there are photos of me starting a fire!

It is worth finding out which NUS staff were involved in this exercise - they would have known that offence would be caused. Wonder who made the placard. The hapless education officer might be the victim of a bit of mischief or worse, and of course his own gullibility.

The claim that the 'descendants of slaves' can not 'forgive and move on' because they are 'taunted with threats' to revive slavery is laughable. There was never any serious threat, Cox claims no to even hold these views and there would be massive opposition among the world's people. It's simply not credible.

It's not reasonable to demand his resignation over this - resignation is a non trivial matter for a sabbatical officer, who would then be without a job and unable to resume his course until next year. And electing a replacement to serve for a part year would be difficult.

But some people will do here best to be offended whatever the circumstances.

Mike


Cox Out

16.10.2008 12:42

Mike - it was NOT an exercise about racism. It was a role-play about student protests and other signs held up read "No to international students fees". There was no reason for the insensitive message on the sign he held up.

Unamused - if you are stupid enough to hold up signs without reading them in a personal capacity that is one thing, but when you are representing a multicultural university nationally, at an NUS event attended by hundreds of representatives from different universities, you can not be so incompetent.

The point is he is supposed to represent students' concerns about Education. He is no longer fit to do this. If one student felt they couldn't talk to him because of his actions his job should come under question, the fact that THOUSANDS can't trust him is proof he must be removed.

COX OUT

Say NO to Racism on Campus


@Mike and Unamused

16.10.2008 13:31

The point is instead of apologising for the offence caused, he refused to co-operate with the NUS investigation into the complaints made against him, constantly threatening to sue the NUS!

Instead of giving a statement to the NUS investigation he went to the Daily Mail!!! Of all newspapers! And issued an offensive and ridiculous statement about the legitimate NUS invesitgation being a "show trial" that would "make Stalin blush".

see for your self

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1052162/Students-face-police-probe-waving-Bring-Back-Slavery-sign-York-University-seminar.html

He clearly has extreme right wing views, no sensitivity to racism and a dangerously enlarged ego. He has repeatedly threatened to sue individuals who have organised a calm and reasonable campaign to get him removed.

He is a bully and a racist, a right-wing extremist who has NO PLACE on an SU EXEC!

COX OUT!!!!

Student


Mike says...

16.10.2008 13:44

Mike says

"resignation is a non trivial matter for a sabbatical officer, who would then be without a job and unable to resume his course until next year. And electing a replacement to serve for a part year would be difficult."

If we follow this logic then no one, no matter how incompetent and offensive they have been, should ever be sacked coz it would cause some trouble in getting them replaced. really the logic is terrifing. "we can't replace people that can't do their jobs, its too much hassle!" WTF?!

look at this way, Cox is a liability, he is bad at his job, he thousands of people before the academic year even begins, he lies (about the NUS investigation findings and the campaign to get him removed), he makes inflamatory remarks comparing the NUS to STALIN, he ignores the advice of the Exec, he threatens to sue anyone who disagrees with him and he is, by all accounts, using the position on the Exec as a step in a political career path to the tory party.

how does "yea but he'll loose his job" constitute an argument in this situation? He will loose his job, he should loose his job and I am very confident he will have no trouble finding another one. Last I heard, privately educated white males were still the most likely people to get the top paid jobs!

also "a part year", what are you talking about? its mid-october! term has only just started!

Sam


A kick in the Cox

16.10.2008 21:37

We still haven't been told what exactly the "joke" was meant to be. Thinking slavery is funny, is pretty sad. Though it might be funny if it was the punchline to: "a black guy, an Asian guy and a stupid white careerist toff walk into a bar, what did the stupid white careerist toff say just before getting the shit beat out of him?"

Though I can think of rather funnier jokes TBH, several of them involving Cox's name, or the rugby team and the slogan "Cox out". Or featuring Cox in a bikini at the foot of a sultan with the slogan, "bring back white slave trade".

Meanwhile, if Tories are so stupid as to hold up any placard they're handed (anyone done a handwriting analysis on it btw?), maybe we should head on down to the next Tory Conference and hand out placards saying "we're all wankers", or maybe some of those Hizbollah ones, just to test if they really are that stupid!

Actually having come across Cox's "type" on campus before, I think he could probably get away with it on the excuse of being unable to read the placard without daddy's help.

On a serious note though:
absolutely disgusting that he's still around.
What next? Wife beaters, Holocaust deniers, rape apologists... let's have the lot on the union exec?!

Actually, I reckon if he had said "bring back gas chambers" he'd be out on his ear before you could say "racist". But if it's black people he picks on, it's taken as OK. Why?!

CHOP OFF COX!

Cox sucks


To make it clear

17.10.2008 01:59

Unamused seems to have missed the point that I was taking the piss out of Cox's pathetic, intelligence-insulting excuse. No, I've never held up a placard without reading it. Neither would I let Hezbollah, the SWP or anyone else shove one in my hand if I didn't agree with it. Even if I agreed with the slogan, I still wouldn't take it if it also had their fucken party blah on it. I don't know anyone who would.

Stroppyoldgit


Some responses

17.10.2008 10:37

Unamused said:
"Anyhow, the matter at hand is basically a joke, and points out how utterly reactionary and victimist many student campaigners are."

What's funny about saying 'Bring Back Slavery'? Please explain this joke so I can get over my victimhood and 'move on' like Cox wants me to.

(btw - I think the sentiments of bringing back slavery are rather more reactionary than the anti-racist response)

"Those hell-bent on ruining any joke because someone might get offended should get a life."

Yeah, you're right. The likes of Jim Davidson and Roy Chubby Brown are a hoot. Keep those white supremacist gags coming please.

Mike said:
"The claim that the 'descendants of slaves' can not 'forgive and move on' because they are 'taunted with threats' to revive slavery is laughable."

That's not actually what I meant. I don't really think that Cox intends to revive slavery. It is still a threatening use of white privilege to use overt racism to "wind up" other people. I also think calling it a joke, or laughable, is.

"There was never any serious threat, Cox claims no to even hold these views and there would be massive opposition among the world's people. It's simply not credible."

Cox claims a lot of things which sound like a retrospective attempt to avoid responsibility for his actions. As I said, I doubt whether Cox really wants to revive slavery. However, it is quite clear that no one who respects black people as equals would associate themselves with that statement. The NUS found that Cox was guilty of racism and at least 2000 Nottingham students do as well. How will he ever be able to represent those students?

Anti-racist


Cox sucks

17.10.2008 19:17

Strangely enough, Roy Chubby Brown did a song about Craig Cox.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBqNt-JGg5w
You're probably thinking of Bernard Manning with the racist stuff though?

There is a massive double standard with "offence" by the way - the bigot brigade are the first to whine at how offended they are by beggars, swearing, litter, graffiti, street drinking, "people standing around in groups", they're the first to take Muslims to court for "offensive" placards, but if you happen to be black, Asian, Jewish, female, gay, disabled, etc, you're not supposed to get offended at anything, even if someone's effectively calling for you to be wiped out or enslaved. Really it's the (mainly white) bigots who are looking for excuses to get offended, in fact they get offended whenever the whole of society is not 100% the way they'd like. Whereas it takes a lot for the excluded to get pissed off. Well, excuse me if I take incitement of crimes against humanity rather more seriously than the kind of petty objections to other people's existence which wind up the right.

Coxkicker