Queens’ drinking society holds initiations outside church on Remembrance Sunday

Members of a Cambridge drinking society carried out an initiation outside a church just an hour after the two minutes silence for Remembrance Sunday.

The drinking society is known as the ‘Roos’ (Kangaroos) from Queens’ College. According to an eyewitness report, the boys were spotted running out of Senate House passage. Some of the boys were thought to be covered in drink, with one student having what looked like vomit on his arm, on King’s Parade this afternoon outside Great St Mary’s Church, at around 12.15pm.

One of the older boys is reported to have shouted “Do these exercises”, at which the students being initiated did press-ups and star jumps. In a line, the boys then began to jump towards market square like kangaroos, with both hands and both feet together.

At least two of the boys were wearing drinking society branded ties

According to our eye-witness, the students were approached by an older man wearing medals who said: “There’s a time and a place, and this certainly isn’t the time.” Another passer-by thought their behaviour was “disgusting” and “outrageous.”

A University spokesman commented: “The University and its colleges expects all members of its community to treat people with respect, courtesy and consideration at all times. If members’ behaviour have fallen short of these values, appropriate action will be taken.”

The initiations were metres away from the church

Speaking to The Tab, a student onlooker said: “I don’t mind drinking societies, but to conduct an initiation on Remembrance Sunday is disgusting and an insult to the war dead. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

When asked to give comment on the events, a member of Kangaroos said: “Our sporting society rearranged its initiations to this Sunday after bad weather had them called off last week. The initiations consist of doing exercise at various points around the campus in fancy dress. It should be clear that we are not a drinking society, and therefore don’t drink during our initiations. We do our initiations on Jesus Green, but did pass through the town on our way there. We did not interact with members of the public in any way.”

“We have many past members who are either currently in military service or who are veterans, a member of the society is in the armed forces and had attended remembrance ceremonies that morning. Our society has the utmost respect for service-members, and would never do anything to intentionally disrespect them. Once it was pointed out to us by a member of our college that our initiations were being held at an inappropriate time, we decided to rearrange for another day.”

Multiple sources have confirmed to The Tab that the Roos are in fact known as a sporting-based drinking society.

The bells of Great St Mary’s Church, just a few metres away from the initiation proceedings, were still ringing from the service of remembrance and reconciliation that morning.

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