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Yorkshire students shun 'Carnage UK' pub crawl after war memorial night of shame
ORGANISERS of a Carnage UK pub crawl are facing a backlash from student unions, which refused to endorse an event held in York last night.
President of the union at York St John University, Jason Wallis, accused Carnage of "coming in for a night, leaving town and then leaving us to deal with the problems they've created".
Members had been advising students not to take part in the pub crawl, billed to include five venues. The sell-out event was set to see up to 800 revellers taking part.
Mr Wallis added: "We're going to get a lot of backlash from local residents.
"We've been putting up messages all week about the negative aspects of Carnage and the problems it can bring. The fact is, even the most sensible person, with the best intentions, can do something silly if they get far too drunk."
Timothy Ngwena, president of York University Students' Union, said he was disappointed the event was returning to the city.
He added: "We have been working with the wider community prior to the event, including York St John Student Union and North Yorkshire Police, to help minimise the impact this event may have not just on students but also the local community."
The controversial event hit the headlines last month when Sheffield Hallam University student Philip Laing was photographed urinating on a war memorial after taking part.
When the 19-year-old from Macclesfield, Cheshire, appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court last week to plead guilty to outraging public decency, District Judge Anthony Browne held not only Laing, but also the organisation to account.
He told Laing: "Carnage is the name of the organisation, I gather, who promote this type of activity. Some might say that somebody should be standing alongside you this morning."
Varsity Leisure Group, which owns the Carnage brand, insists they are not about binge drinking.
In a statement issued last night, it said: "VLG wants the students to be safe and for the local economy to have the benefit of a boost to its late night trade, at a time of recession, without any trouble.
"VLG actively chooses to host the student events on weekday nights and not on Fridays or Saturdays, when there are greater demands on police resources."
And it adds: "VLG does not promote binge drinking nor does it promote drinking to dangerous levels."
The company said it considered the incident in Sheffield involving Laing as an "isolated incident" and added it was "appalled" by his behaviour
VLG says venues offer free soft drinks and, where possible, discounted food. It claimed opposition from student unions arises "because they compete with their own, less well-resourced events".
But the former chairman of York Council's licensing committee, Coun James Alexander, said it was "especially insensitive" of it to organise the event on Remembrance Sunday.
"I don't think it fosters good relations between students in York and the local community," he said. "I think it's a bit of a recipe for disaster."
Coun Alexander added he would look into asking Carnage UK to pay for any costs that could arise in the historic city, such as for street cleaning and policing. It follows a similar move from Sheffield Council leader Paul Scriven following two Carnage UK pub crawls in Sheffield.
Insp Dave Sutcliffe, from North Yorkshire Police, yesterday said no extra officers were being brought in to oversee last night's Carnage event.
"This event was known about, it was risk-assessed and we had the normal numbers of staff on to police it in a firm and fair way," he said. "We want students to have a good time, as long as they don't overstep the mark."
Last night's event in York sold out. York St John student Amber Ridley, 19, said she decided to go along after enjoying a previous Carnage UK event in 2007.
She said: "The university has had nothing to do with it, they haven't been promoting it. But it's been on Facebook and lots of people found out through word of mouth."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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