Anti-racism protesters occupy Goldsmiths university building

Student activists say they will not leave property until all demands are met

Among the protestors' demands are a 'strategic plan on how the university plans to tackle racism and the realities of life as a BAME student' (Angela Christofilou / Independent)

Anti-racism protestors who have occupied a key building at Goldmiths, University of London, for more than 25 days say they have no intention of standing down until their demands are met in full.

The student activists have taken over Deptford Town Hall – where the uni’s senior management team work – in protest at what they call “interpersonal and institutional racism”.

The 20-strong group took the dramatic action after they say the institution failed to respond to complaints a candidate in upcoming student elections had been racially abused.

“We are here for the long haul if needs be,” student Rehan Abeysekera, a member of Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Action, told The Independent. “These are issues that need to be addressed and we are committed to remaining here until they are.”

The group say the recent abuse added to long-standing concerns ranging from a lack of mental health provisions for BAME students to what campaigners call a Eurocentric curriculum and the large attainment gap between white and non-white students.

Figures from 2017-18 show that just 71.6 per cent of BAME undergraduates received a first class or upper second degree, compared to 89.7 per cent of white undergraduates.

Among the protestors' demands are a “strategic plan on how the university plans to tackle racism and the realities of life as a BAME student” and mandatory diversity training for all student-facing staff.

A spokesman for the university said it had listened to the group and had already committed to reviewing its hate crime reporting processes, implementing new staff training and increasing investment in student wellbeing services.

He said: "We hope these steps demonstrate our commitment to improving the experiences and outcomes of all our BAME students.”