A second pro-life group claims it has been banned from the Dundee University freshers’ fayre.
The Life Society’s allegation has been disputed by Dundee University Students’ Association who said they can still have a stall if they comply with DUSA’s rules.
A row over the presence of anti-abortion groups at the showcase event for new students surfaced with the prohibition of the hard-line Society for the Protection of Unborn Children from Saturday’s occasion.
The ban was because SPUC’s views conflict with the constitution of DUSA and its beliefs on contraceptives, but was described as sad by the head of the Roman Catholic diocese of Dunkeld Bishop Stephen Robson.
DUSA insisted they would accept a pro-life students’ group provided their views did not conflict with the association’s constitution.
Joseph Geoghegan and Julie Allison of the Life Society said their students’ group which is affiliated to DUSA had their offer of a stall at the fayre withdrawn.
“We decided to book our own stall as an affiliated society to ensure that there was a pro-life presence for the new students,” Julie explained.
“Twenty minutes later, we received a phone call from Douglas Schreiber, vice-president of student activities, warning us that if we were to use any materials provided by SPUC, we would risk being made unaffiliated with DUSA and any members from SPUC would be escorted from the premises.
“This came as a surprise to us as we were hoping to receive some help from some SPUC members on the day.
“We were to be using some of their material, because it is factual, and using material from other organisations. We are not able to source any material from alternative sources at this stage.
“He went onto explain that a student representative council passed the motion banning SPUC and all those affiliated with them.
“The motion was proposed and carried when the Life Society was affiliated and yet it was never informed of the motion nor of its result.
“We feel that this concealment was a deliberate attempt to prevent the Life Society from voting against the motion.
“We are disappointed that a union which prides itself on representing all students is not prepared to even consider the pro-life message and instead zealously censors it,” she said.
The banning had put the future of the Life Society in jeopardy, she added.
Iain MacKinnon, president of DUSA, said a stall is still available for the Life Society if they provide DUSA with the material all affiliated societies must provide and comply with the association’s constitution.
“They were informed by the vice-president that should they hold a stall that they cannot give out any SPUC material as the SPUC are not allowed at freshers’ fayre,” he explained.
“The Life Society when affiliated with DUSA was informed that they would need to follow DUSA’s constitution and byelaws.
“They were specifically asked whether they were linked with SPUC which they stated that they were not.
“Since affiliating, the Life Society have not provided DUSA with the information required of all our affiliated societies, nor have they attended meetings of the societies’ council.
“Should the society not attend then they will not stay informed and they would not have been able to directly vote on the motion.”
The society would have been considered for disaffiliation had they not contacted him this week, but a place at the fayre is still open to them if they meet all the requirements.