Dear student,
You may be aware of recent media reports regarding racist leaflets being posted in various locations throughout Aberdeen, including close to student accommodation in the city.
These leaflets, which falsely claim to be produced by Aberdeen City Council, are now being investigated by Police Scotland.
We recognise the distress this kind of extremely offensive material will cause, and the University joins the local community in condemning these hate crimes.
We also want to take the opportunity to outline action you can take when a hate crime occurs and the support that is available from the University if you need it.
Working with Police Scotland, the University is progressing training to act as a Third-Party Reporting Centre. This will see a number of our staff get trained to work with students to assist them in submitting a report of hate crimes to the police for investigation.
To seek support with an incident you have experienced, witnessed or are impacted by in any way, you can arrange a meeting with a specialist adviser in Student Support by emailing student.support@abdn.ac.uk. The team can offer you general advice on support that is available to you and can support you with a report to Police Scotland. You can also call the team during working hours on 01224 273935
You can also make a direct report to Police Scotland, either by calling 101 or online. More information is available here. Police have advised us that should you find any posters, and are able to retain them, minimising your contact with them, this would be very helpful for their investigations.
As a University we wish to provide reassurance that we will always take action where racism occurs and where it is reported to us.
Our University strives to be open, welcoming, diverse and inclusive and any acts of harassment, bullying, violence or targeted hate are unacceptable. We know the overwhelming majority of our community would never participate in such behaviour.
Nick
Nick Edwards
Deputy Director of People