‘The Sun has contributed to rape culture’: Page 3 banned

Students on the University of Leicester’s Students’ Union Council have voted to boycott The Sun on sale in all university outlets until Page 3 is removed.

The university has joined 29 other universities around the UK, including Nottingham who recently boycotted the paper.

One student, Ella, put forward the proposal to Union Council making it clear that the movement is not going to permanently ban the newspaper but boycott it from university outlets until Page 3 is removed.

Powerful speeches being given at @PercyGee in favour of @NoMorePage3. Please vote to boycott it! #ulsucouncil pic.twitter.com/VJjx4yCZiZ

— Sean Kelly-Walsh (@seankellywalsh) March 18, 2014

She told Union Council that: “The Sun will be sold again on campus once the page is removed and does not represent a full ban of the newspaper. We are simply demonstrating  how serious an issue equality is on campus.”

“It is not just a boycott of the page, but also a boycott on sexism, a boycott on misogyny, as well as a boycott on the idea that women are always sexually available.”

A statement was read out from a student that had been raped whilst at Leicester which said: “I’m not suggesting that the person that attacked me had read The Sun but it has contributed towards the normalisation of rape culture.”

Another student, seconding the proposal suggested that: “taking a stance against the ban is quite simply an ignorant reaction to what is a serious issue on campus.”

She also said that the decision would send a direct message to David Dinsmore, the editor of The Sun, saying that we fully condemn the presence of Page 3 in a family newspaper.

Christopher Everett, the current President of The Ripple, presented the opposing view on behalf of Katrina King who had chosen not to attend the meeting of the Council for fear of being personally attacked for her views.

The petition that called for Leicester students to show support for the boycott

Her statement included that idea that the proposal is essentially a ban and constitutes censorship.

The proposal to prevent the ban on campus was seconded by another student who clarified that: “it doesn’t matter how long a ban lasts for, a ban is a ban.”

He also took the opportunity to say that the points relating to boycotting the paper from Nourish and other university outlets until page 3 is removed and that the proposal was not a ban were contradictory.

The decision came after the council debated various aspects of the campaign and the proposal before completing a secret ballot to reach an outcome.