University VC apologises over student’s ‘racial profiling’

LONDON: A university vice-chancellor has apologised to a student who was allegedly racially profiled by security guards. Dame Nancy Rothwell told BBC Newsnight on Thursday she had written to Manchester University student Zach Adan after the 19-year-old was stopped by security guards as he returned to his halls of residence.

Video footage which emerged online appeared to show Adan being held against a wall by the two guards during the incident.

Dame Nancy said: “I was very, very concerned by it. I have apologised to the student for the distress he felt. I immediately suspended the staff and there is now an investigation ongoing.” She said she would not commit to agreeing to meet Adan. The incident came amid ongoing protests by students at the university who are campaigning for rent cuts after their face-to-face classes were halted and they experienced a series of issues with accommodation.

Earlier this week, the university pledged a reduction of two weeks’ rent for all students in their accommodation. Students will also be able to break their accommodation agreements and leave halls during term time without receiving a financial penalty under the new measures.

But a spokesperson for the UoM Rent Strike campaign – which has called for rental fees to be reduced by 40 per cent – said the offer was “far from enough”.

As part of the protests, students occupied the Owens Park Tower building in Fallowfield earlier this month.