Our community is incredibly saddened and distressed by the violent scenes in some cities which have spread across the country in the past few days. We are appalled by the rise in anti-Islamic rhetoric and wider unrest, and our hearts go out to everyone affected by these actions.
As your Students’ Union, we are incredibly proud of our diverse student community and take great pride in fostering an inclusive, supportive and safe environment for all. At times like this, we must come together to support one another and reaffirm our commitment to kindness and respect.
As your Sabbatical Officers, we will always be here to support UCL students in the best way possible and our full solidarity is with anyone experiencing anxiety or trauma at this time. Hate crime or incidents of this kind are not tolerable and it is incredibly upsetting to see these events unfold in the UK, a place that we call home. We are also here to advocate for the wellbeing of all UCL students and wanted to share some of the support services that are available below. Alongside colleagues in UCL, we are in the process of reaching out to members of our community directly to offer support and signpost to appropriate services.
Additionally, we understand how important it is for everyone to feel safe on campus and we will be working closely with UCL security to ensure campus is a safe place for all of us.
Finally, a reminder to our community: Any and all forms of racism, islamophobia, discrimination, and abuse have no place in our university. If you have experienced any form of islamophobia, please report it. You’ll be guided to support after reporting so you don’t have to face this alone. We also urge those who’ve attended our Active Bystander training to safely intervene if they witness or experience any form of abuse and use UCL’s Report + Support tool to report incidents.
Take care,
Goksu, Shaban, Ana, Eda, Darcy and Rachel
Support available to all students at UCL:
- The Students' Union Advice Service offers independent and impartial advice on a range of matters. We are separate from the university and are available to all UCL students, so if you need any advice on submitting an extenuating circumstances claim, one of our experienced Advisors could help.
- Reports of hate crimes are taken extremely seriously - report instances of hate crime on campus through the Report + Support tool page. You can do this anonymously.
- You can find additional national wide support here:Hate Crime Resources | Students Union UCL
- UCL’s campus has 24/7 security coverage. Security support can be accessed by calling +44 (0)20 7679 2222 or extension 222 from a UCL landline.
- You can also contact security directly through the SafeZone app. Download the SafeZone app. The app is available to all UCL students and makes it easier for you to contact UCL Security directly from your phone. Remember: if you are in an emergency, call 999 and ask for the appropriate service.
- If you need to, you should access UCL's 24/7 Student Support Line for support with your mental health and wellbeing, and additional support services around faith and belief at UCL, including quiet spaces for prayer and advice from the Interfaith team.
- We know that it may be difficult to focus on your studies at this time. If you are struggling with academic work, you should first talk to your tutor, who will be able to offer support and advice. Departments can also provide Extenuating Circumstances or Academic Adjustments to support any student who experiences sudden, unexpected difficulties that may affect their performance at assessment.