Blind student dragged from Oxford Union chamber 'by his ankles'

[Twosugars]

The Oxford Union has been heavily criticised after a blind student was reportedly “dragged by his ankles” out of a debating chamber, leading to calls for the union president to resign.

The incident, which was caught on video and described by the Oxford University Africa Society (OUAS) as “violent, unjust, inhumane and shameful”, left the student feeling “unwelcome in the union, Oxford and even the country”.

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Ebenezer Azamati, 25, a postgraduate student from Ghana studying international relations, is said to have arrived early to attend a debate – about whether it was right to feel confident in the UK government – on 17 October in order to reserve an accessible seat, as he was concerned that there was no special provision for disabled people. He then left to eat dinner at his college.

When he returned before the start of the debate, Azamati was refused entry, but when a friend arrived to accompany him, he went inside and sat down. Shortly afterwards, security officials entered and manhandled him out of the building. His union card was confiscated and he was expelled from the union.

The Sunday Times reported that the union’s president, Brendan McGrath, subsequently called a disciplinary committee meeting, alleging that Azamati had behaved violently by thrusting an arm out and using aggressive hand gestures as he was being removed from his seat.

Azamati told the Sunday Times: “I felt that I was treated as not being human enough to deserve justice and fair treatment.”

An appeal hearing on Saturday heard evidence from fellow student Henry Hatwell, 21, who said: “Thirty seconds after he [Azamati] sat down, the security guard came in. Five seconds afterwards, he started touching Azamati, who was holding on to the bench. Thirty seconds later, they were dragging him by his ankles.”

On Saturday, the union and McGrath formally withdrew the charge of violent misconduct against Azamati and apologised “unreservedly” for the distress and damage caused.

The OUAS has launched a petition calling for McGrath to resign his position after he “personally lodged a complaint against Mr Azamati for violent behaviour”, which had more than 1,000 signatures at 10pm on Sunday night.

The petition also calls for:

An “unreserved” apology to Azamati from both the union and the president
The cancellation of Azamati’s ban and a reinstatement of his union membership
“Adequate” punishment of “the security personnel who assaulted” Azamati
Compensation for Azamati.

Nwamaka Ogbonna, OUAS president, said on Sunday that none of the demands had yet been met. “We have yet to see a public apology from the union or from Brendan McGrath,” she said. “There have been no details of how the union will be held to account, no details on compensation, and he [McGrath] is yet to resign.”

Ogbonna said OUAS hoped to work with other university institutions to pressure the union.

“It should be a safe and inclusive space for everyone,” she said. “They can’t just declare him not guilty and expect this to go away. This is far from being closed – there must be wider institutional change.”

More than 100 people attended a protest on Friday that repeated the demands of the petition.

The incident has also caught the attention of several high-profile figures, including Labour politician David Lammy, who described “the indignity [Azamati] suffered” as “beyond comprehension”, saying he deserves “far more than an apology”.

The Guardian has contacted the Oxford Union for comment.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/nov/17/blind-student-dragged-from-oxford-union-chamber-by-his-ankles

[Cherie]

Outrageous

[Livia]

It's the Students' Union so I'm not surprised. The elected officials are a bit like politicians in that, wanting to be one should exclude them forever. The University of Essex voted against a Jewish society being formed. No surprise... The president of the SU in some Cambridge college said she was going to "paint over all those white men if someone doesn't remove that mural". It was a depiction of the men who attended college and died in WW1. The Student Union is home to some very well qualified but stupid people and so every few months there's another outrageous example of their lack of awareness.

[Crimson Dynamo]

looks like he was politely asked to leave and instead created a big fuss and drama?

[Kizzy]

Shouldn't the question be why was he asked to leave in the first place?

[Crimson Dynamo]

Shouldn't the question be why was he asked to leave in the first place?

that aside, he could have sorted that out outside without ruining the debate for others and acting like a spoilt child. Just say ok, be civil and go outside and sort it out?

[arista]

Shouldn't the question be why was he asked to leave in the first place?


He wants the Leader of that place to Resign.

[arista]

[When he returned before the start of the debate, Azamati was refused entry, but when a friend arrived to accompany him, he went inside and sat down. Shortly afterwards, security officials entered and manhandled him out of the building. His union card was confiscated and he was expelled from the union.

The Sunday Times reported that the union’s president, Brendan McGrath, subsequently called a disciplinary committee meeting, alleging that Azamati had behaved violently by thrusting an arm out and using aggressive hand gestures as he was being removed from his seat.]

[Kizzy]

that aside, he could have sorted that out outside without ruining the debate for others and acting like a spoilt child. Just say ok, be civil and go outside and sort it out?

Why should he?
He was acting like someone being harassed and assaulted, because he was.

[Crimson Dynamo]

so a trouble maker was he?

hmmm

[Beso]

He made it clear he was refusing to leave..I don't see what other option they had to be honest.

[arista]

He made it clear he was refusing to leave..I don't see what other option they had to be honest.


Its that simple...................

[Twosugars]

Meanwhile in the real world

"On Saturday, the union and McGrath formally withdrew the charge of violent misconduct against Azamati and apologised “unreservedly” for the distress and damage caused."

[Crimson Dynamo]

Meanwhile in the real world

"On Saturday, the union and McGrath formally withdrew the charge of violent misconduct against Azamati and apologised “unreservedly” for the distress and damage caused."

yes to stop demos from headcases and move on. someone has to be an adult about it and well done to him for this.

[Tom4784]

I guess facts don't matter when you want to insist on the victim being at fault.

'The union withdrew their complaint and apologised'
'The blind chap with the African sounding name is clearly still at fault!'

[Crimson Dynamo]

I guess facts don't matter when you want to insist on the victim being at fault.

'The union withdrew their complaint and apologised'
'The blind chap with the African sounding name is clearly still at fault!'

if you care to read the thread you will find he was at fault and ruined a good debate by being selfish

[Tom4784]

if you care to read the thread you will find he was at fault and ruined a good debate by being selfish

I read the actual article so no need to try to fill me in with your fantasy version.

[Crimson Dynamo]

I read the actual article so no need to try to fill me in with your fantasy version.

Then your previous post is very odd if so?

[Tom4784]

Then your previous post is very odd if so?

Not really, I can read something without placing fiction over the top of it.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Not really, I can read something without placing fiction over the top of it.

that is brilliant but why do you think that, as this is SD? Most people disagree with you.

[Tom4784]

that is brilliant but why do you think that, as this is SD? Most people disagree with you.

'Most people' so you and Parm basically who believes he was in the wrong while everyone else in the thread thinks that the Union were in the wrong. Your definition of 'most people' needs work.

I don't mind people not agreeing with me, people are perfectly entitled to be wrong.

[Dogeatdog]

Ebenezer Azamati, 25, a postgraduate student from Ghana studying international relations, is said to have arrived early to attend a debate – about whether it was right to feel confident in the UK government – on 17 October in order to reserve an accessible seat, as he was concerned that there was no special provision for disabled people. He then left to eat dinner at his college.

When he returned before the start of the debate, Azamati was refused entry

I don’t understand why he was refused entry upon his return especially as the debate hadn’t even begun at this point?

[Crimson Dynamo]

I don’t understand why he was refused entry upon his return especially as the debate hadn’t even begun at this point?

I expect he had previous and the organisers were trying to run a fair and reasoned debate without trouble makers?

[Twosugars]

I expect he had previous and the organisers were trying to run a fair and reasoned debate without trouble makers?

"You expect" is not reality.
Oh dear :laugh:
It's SD so stick to facts not your wishful thinking

[Crimson Dynamo]

"You expect" is not reality.
Oh dear :laugh:
It's SD so stick to facts not your wishful thinking

if you have any evidence to refute my assumption please reply and say what it is?

[Dogeatdog]

I expect he had previous and the organisers were trying to run a fair and reasoned debate without trouble makers?

I don’t see why the union couldn’t have just made an exception and let him stay tbh seeing as he has a disability and was early to the debate anyways (it hadn’t even begun). They did themselves no favours dragging him out by his ankles that’s a terrible thing to do.

[Crimson Dynamo]

I don’t see why the union couldn’t have just made an exception and let him stay tbh seeing as he has a disability and was early to the debate anyways (it hadn’t even begun). They did themselves no favours dragging him out by his ankles that’s a terrible thing to do.

He should have left when asked politely to do so, he made the fuss no one else

[Dogeatdog]

He should have left when asked politely to do so, he made the fuss no one else

They still shouldn’t of dragged him out by his ankles though, that is an idiotic thing to do. He may have kicked up a fuss but if there was no valid reason as to why he was refused entry before the debate even begun, then I think he has every right to be upset.

[Ammi]

An appeal hearing on Saturday heard evidence from fellow student Henry Hatwell, 21, who said: “Thirty seconds after he [Azamati] sat down, the security guard came in. Five seconds afterwards, he started touching Azamati, who was holding on to the bench. Thirty seconds later, they were dragging him by his ankles.”

On Saturday, the union and McGrath formally withdrew the charge of violent misconduct against Azamati and apologised “unreservedly” for the distress and damage caused.


...despicable...It’s so good that this was addressed with such speed and an unreserved apology given for something that should never have happened...how ironic that he’s studying international relations and that the specific debate was about ....whether it was right to feel confident in the UK government ...

[Twosugars]

if you have any evidence to refute my assumption please reply and say what it is?

Do you have any evidence for your assumption in the first place? Other than a bad faith that is?

[Crimson Dynamo]

why is him being blind relevant and included in the title?

[Crimson Dynamo]

An appeal hearing on Saturday heard evidence from fellow student Henry Hatwell, 21, who said: “Thirty seconds after he [Azamati] sat down, the security guard came in. Five seconds afterwards, he started touching Azamati, who was holding on to the bench. Thirty seconds later, they were dragging him by his ankles.”

On Saturday, the union and McGrath formally withdrew the charge of violent misconduct against Azamati and apologised “unreservedly” for the distress and damage caused.


...despicable...It’s so good that this was addressed with such speed and an unreserved apology given for something that should never have happened...how ironic that he’s studying international relations and that the specific debate was about ....whether it was right to feel confident in the UK government ...

please put link in with and quotes


and i am surprised that you have included lies in your post and then based your "anger" about the lies

The video posted on you tube is 1 minute 57 seconds long and at no time is anyone dragged off buy the ankles

your post states: "Thirty seconds after he [Azamati] sat down, the security guard came in. Five seconds afterwards, he started touching Azamati, who was holding on to the bench. Thirty seconds later, they were dragging him by his ankles"

well that video runs for 1 minute 57 seconds and he gently touches the mans arm at the start so....?

I wonder what else is incorrect about this incident??

[Ammi]

....just read the OP and stop being so silly...otherwise I’ll assume you’re harassing me...

[Crimson Dynamo]

....just read the OP and stop being so silly...otherwise I’ll assume you’re harassing me...

maybe just watch the video and do the math, no one is harassing you, just picking you up on misinformation that you are spreading.

[Ammi]

..the appeal did the enquiry into the incident and their conclusion is reported...which is all in the OP...or you can do math if you’d rather, I prefer to comment on the official appeal and conclusion...

...LT stop your nastiness..you’re a grown man, not a silly little school boy who likes to bully...

[Crimson Dynamo]

They still shouldn’t of dragged him out by his ankles though, that is an idiotic thing to do. He may have kicked up a fuss but if there was no valid reason as to why he was refused entry before the debate even begun, then I think he has every right to be upset.

yes i agree but as security it was their job to remove him as best they could, id imagine they were under a lot of stress as everyone was watching them. they have a job do do you know.

[Crimson Dynamo]

..the appeal did the enquiry into the incident and their conclusion is reported...which is all in the OP...or you can do math if you’d rather, I prefer to comment on the official appeal and conclusion...

...LT stop your nastiness..you’re a grown man, not a silly little school boy who likes to bully...

your information was wrong and the video and time there for all to see, sorry if that makes you feel bad but its the truth - anyone can watch and time it.

[Ammi]

your information was wrong and the video and time there for all to see, sorry if that makes you feel bad but its the truth - anyone can watch and time it.

...it doesn’t make me feel bad, I watched the vid and read the conclusion of the appeal...but you interpreting it your own way, which is contra to the appeal conclusion...obviously means an awful lot to you...so knock yourself out, I’ll leave you to it as I neither have the time or the inclination etc, to dance with you...

[Twosugars]

your information was wrong and the video and time there for all to see, sorry if that makes you feel bad but its the truth - anyone can watch and time it.

It was a quote from a witness. So take it up with him about his perception of time. And stop picking on Ammi who is reporting the witness statement.
The investigation heard from the relevant parties. The reactions from the union says it all.
Your reaction also says it all.

[Twosugars]

why is him being blind relevant and included in the title?

Jesus ****ing wept!

Bc being blind makes you extra vulnerable as you cant judge fully your surroundings and neither you can judge what people are about to do to you or defend yourself.
It's in the title bc it is relevant and makes his removal especially aggressive and humiliating.

Your sneering is shocking

[AnnieK]

When did dragging a disabled person by the ankles become the way to deal with a situation? The fact that an apology etc has been given so quickly indicates fault on the Union's side, otherwise surely they would be offering wraths of evidence and witness statements to show that the level.of restraint and removal was warranted.

[Cherie]

..the appeal did the enquiry into the incident and their conclusion is reported...which is all in the OP...or you can do math if you’d rather, I prefer to comment on the official appeal and conclusion...

...LT stop your nastiness..you’re a grown man, not a silly little school boy who likes to bully...

I think that is totally uncalled for? He is simply pointing out the discrepancies between what has been written and the timings on the video.

[Beso]

Jesus ****ing wept!

Bc being blind makes you extra vulnerable as you cant judge fully your surroundings and neither you can judge what people are about to do to you or defend yourself.
It's in the title bc it is relevant and makes his removal especially aggressive and humiliating.

Your sneering is shocking




Maybe they hoisted him out by the ankles to stop him walking into a door?

[Twosugars]

The president of the Oxford Union has bowed to pressure to resign after a blind student was dragged by his ankles from a debate event by a security guard.

Ebenezer Azamati, a postgraduate student from Ghana, was forcibly removed from the event last month when he tried to return to his seat before a debate.

Brendan McGrath, the president of the union, who had alleged that Azamati had behaved violently, accepted he “manifestly failed” in his duty to ensure that every member felt welcome.

In a resignation statement posted on the union’s Facebook account, McGrath apologised and said he was wrong to seen to be trying to blame Azamati in the aftermath of incident.

McGrath’s resignation came after the Oxford University Africa Society (OUAS) launched a petition calling for him to to go and impeachment procedures against him were started by union members. The OUAS said Azamati’s treatment was “violent, unjust, inhumane and shameful”.

Several other senior post holders at the union have already resigned over the incident, according to Cherwell, the university’s student magazine.

McGrath said he was advised to bring a disciplinary case against Azamati on behalf of the security guard involved but had failed to recognised the wider “institutional problems” highlighted by the incident.

For all of my shortcomings, and all of my mistakes, I apologise profusely and unqualifiedly,” he added.

The president of the Oxford Union, a debating society that operates independently of the university, is one of the most sought-after positions at Oxford and frequently a springboard to high-profile political careers. Past presidents include Boris Johnson, Benazir Bhutto, Michael Foot, Tony Benn and Jeremy Thorpe.

The university said it shared widespread outrage at Azamati’s treatment.


Oxford University
✔
@UniofOxford
We share the widespread outrage regarding the unacceptable treatment of Ebenezer Azamati, a member of our University community, at the Oxford Union. Ebenezer’s college and the University are working to fully support him.


In his resignation statement, McGrath also called for an independent review into the union’s policies on disability and a professional review of its security system and staff training.

Azamati, an international relations scholar, said his treatment left him feeling “unwelcome in the union, Oxford and even the country”.

He successfully appealed on Saturday against what he said were claims of “false violent disorder” by the union. The union withdrew its charge of violent misconduct against him and apologised “unreservedly”.

The society has hosted speakers and debates since 1823.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/nov/20/oxford-union-president-steps-down-in-wake-of-blind-student-row

[arista]

[McGrath said he was advised to bring
a disciplinary case against Azamati
on behalf of the security
guard involved but had failed
to recognised the wider
“institutional problems” highlighted
by the incident.
For all of my shortcomings,
and all of my mistakes,
I apologise profusely and unqualifiedly,”
he added.
The president of the Oxford Union,
a debating society that
operates independently of the university,
is one of the most sought-after
positions at Oxford and frequently
a springboard to high-profile political careers.
Past presidents include Boris Johnson,
Benazir Bhutto, Michael Foot,
Tony Benn and Jeremy Thorpe.]

[The university said it shared widespread
outrage at Azamati’s treatment.]



Yes it can go onto TVnews
now

[The Slim Reaper]

Tv news told me to thank you for allowing it, Arista :smug:

[Kizzy]

Excellent news, the guard will also have to be dealt with. With any physical intervention the response has to be proportional to the threat, therefore he failed in adequate safeguarding. The SIA have recognised holds for restraint, this was not one of those, if the guy was injured then he should imo be claiming for assault and personal injury.

[Twosugars]

The whole thing was just shocking.

[Twosugars]

Tv news told me to thank you for allowing it, Arista :smug:

Only HD channels though :nono:

[user104658]

This wouldn't be an appropriate way to remove anyone, let alone a blind person :think:. Really scraping the barrel trying to justify this one.