MP adds voice to campaign against ‘deeply sexist’ event

AN MP has joined the outcry against a “Pimps and Hoes”-themed pub crawl targeted at students in a Yorkshire city.

Carnage UK has organised the event in Sheffield on Monday, October 8 and has been met with criticism from the students’ unions at both Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam universities, which say the theme is offensive to women.

Yesterday, Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, came out on the side of the students’ unions and said: “Carnage is an organisation with a history of causing problems in Sheffield, but this upcoming event is a new low even for them.

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“I strongly urge Carnage to listen to what student representatives, from both of our universities, are saying and scrap this offensive theme. It trivialises prostitution and violence towards women and is deeply sexist.

“This event will cause offence across Sheffield and they should think again.

“If Carnage refuses to change the theme then I’d call on local Sheffield businesses to wash their hands of this bar crawl.”

Carnage UK previously hit the headlines when, three years ago, student Philip Laing urinated on the war memorial in Barkers Pool after taking part in the bar crawl in Sheffield city centre.

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Laing, then 19, admitted a charge of outraging public decency and was given 250 hours’ community service.

In a statement, a spokesman for Carnage UK said: “Varsity Leisure Group’s aim is to give students the opportunity to have a fun night out with other students from differing ethnic and social backgrounds.

“We strongly disagree that a fancy dress event such as ours in any way trivialises violence towards women.”

They added: “Varsity Leisure Group was appalled that one individual attending its event in Sheffield in October 2009 treated a war memorial in a highly disrespectful manner.

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“Varsity Leisure Group denounced the student’s actions publicly and unequivocally.

“We are acutely aware of the need for events such as ours to be held responsibly and with safety as a paramount consideration.

“This is why we take every precaution possible to protect attendees.”