Tag: Oxford Union

On 15th November, Theresa May spoke at the Union after much anticipation within the Oxford community. Rumours of her appearance had been circulating throughout Michaelmas term, and was confirmed well ahead of the event itself. May resigned as Prime Minister on 24th July this year, but her political legacy, primarily involving matters of Brexit, ensured […]

Pressure continues to mount on the Oxford Union as the University of Oxford announced their support for suspended member Ebenezer Azamati on Twitter. A tweet posted at 1.48pm today read: “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 […]

Over a hundred demonstrators responded to Oxford University Africa Society’s call to protest the Oxford Union’s treatment of suspended member Ebenezer Azamati yesterday evening. WATCH: Protesters on Cornmarket demand Union president resign AfriSoc launched the campaign after a Union disciplinary committee suspended the membership of Azamati, who is blind, for “violent conduct”. This related to […]

“Our main aim is to help Oxford disagree better”. Maya Thomas on the founding of Oxford Society for Free Discourse and free speech issues in Oxford. So, how did you start the Oxford Society for Free Discourse? When I first came to university as an ideologically confused fresher, was very excited to have discussions with […]

Shortly before the start of 1st week’s No Confidence debate at The Oxford Union, for which the debate chamber was packed full, a dispute between Union staff and a blind member of the audience broke out. The altercation resulted in the man being removed from the chamber before the debate, despite his outcries to the […]

The Oxford Union has announced part of their termcard, with speakers including some controversial names. One of these is Candace Owens, former communications director of Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group in America which has made headlines fol-lowing accusations of racism. Owens had previously caused controversy in a debate about the use of the […]

An Oxford Union Access Officer, Beth Chamberlain, resigned her position on 12 July, condemning the society as “full of pseudo-politicos and sycophants” and having been left feeling “abused and taken advantage of” by colleagues and friends on committee in her letter of resignation, obtained by The Oxford Student. To read her full letter, click here. In […]

An Oxford Union election tribunal has found two candidates in the society’s elections guilty of electoral malpractice. The ‘Rise’ slate’s candidates for Secretary; Lee Chin Wee, and its intended candidate for Librarian; Ayman D’Souza, who had seemingly by accident nominated for Treasurer, were found guilty of hindering the duties of the Returning Officer and communicating […]

Image Description: Former US Secretary of State Kerry delivers an address to the Oxford Union Shhh! Can you hear it? The air is abuzz with a sound, a feeling, a vibe. Phones ding with messenger message requests, coffee shops hum with various forms of hackery, imperative verbs start clogging your Facebook feed – the Union […]

A motion to boycott the Oxford Union’s future events just passed in the Wadham Student Union during their weekly meeting. The motion was proposed by Wadham student Joe Lovell-McNamee and seconded by Hugo Raine, both active members of the ‘Boycott the Oxford Union Campaign.’ This was proposed in solidarity with the campaign’s efforts sparked by […]

The Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) has voted to boycott the appearance of Ambassador John R. Bolton at the Oxford Union. President Trump’s National Security Advisor is set to deliver a talk at the Union on 1st June. The OULC cited Bolton’s involvement in the lies spread about weapons of mass destruction leading up to […]

Image description: Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist and executive chairman of Breitbart News In the wake of the recent anti-fascism protests outside the Oxford Union in response to the invitation extended to Katie Hopkins to speak, the topic on the validity of the use of ‘no-platforming’ has come to the forefront of political […]

Image Description: Protesters outside the Oxford Union during Hopkins’ debate.  I was planning to write this week’s column about tax avoidance, the ancient legal concept of the trust, and how it is used to keep money away from the tax man. Then Katie Hopkins turned up, and it seemed silly not to talk about freedom of […]

The Oxford Union has passed a rules change that will allow students of Oxford Brookes University to buy permanent Union membership if their course lasts 3 years or more. Previously, only temporary membership was available to Brooke’s students, meaning that unlike University of Oxford students, they had no option for lifetime membership beyond the end […]

Protestors yesterday gathered outside the Oxford Union to demonstrate against the invitation of far-right media personality Katie Hopkins. A heavy police presence surrounded  the area, including several mounted officers. At least one arrest was made after an altercation between a protestor and a counter-protestor who was seen performing a Nazi salute. Chants from the protestors […]

Oxford is well-known for its problematic past – the oldest English-speaking university has had its share of controversies throughout its long history. But the precise nature of these controversies is often buried deep, and most students know little more than the fact that the university has some sort of dark past. However, the lack of […]

Brendan McGrath has survived a vote of impeachment at the Oxford Union. The impeachment vote, which ran between 8:30am to 9:30pm today lost with 400 votes against impeachment, 189 votes for impeachment, and 3 spoilt ballots. The impeachment was called by Jim Brennan following Ray William’s dramatic resignation from the position of Chief of Staff […]

Imagine the scene. The Oxford Union, 17th January, around 9pm. The motion to be debated: “This House believes that the Arab world has failed the Palestinian people”. A speaker for the opposition rises, argues we should reject it because it wrongly presupposes a moral obligation. The “problem” of the Palestinians was forced upon the Arab […]

Tony Hawk came to the Oxford Union Friday 18 January to talk about his exciting life as a pro skater. In addition to being one of the most iconic skateboarders in the world, Hawk has a line of video games based off of him, is the owner of the skateboarding company Birdhawk, creator of the […]