Government & Politics Society withdraws Nick Griffin invite

The UCC Government and Politics Society has withdrawn its invitation to British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin to speak at an event on campus.

In a press release issued this afternoon society auditor Ben English said that submissions from University staff and the Gardaí had outlined that there was a ‘potential threat to the safety and welfare of students and the general public.’

The society had invited Griffin to speak at an event to be hosted on campus in Feburary. Griffin suffered a similar cancellation at Trinity College Dublin after college heads made a similar decision reportedly based on students’ security.

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Auditor Ben English commented this afternoon that: “The Government and Politics Society fully accept its responsibility to put the welfare of the student body and its members first and are not prepared to compromise them at any cost.”

“Despite our withdrawal of our invitation to Mr Griffin, the Government and Politics Society’s commitment to open debate and discussion remains and the society will still host a debate on Free Speech in the near future to allow this important topic to be discussed. This debate however, will not feature Mr Griffin as a speaker.”

The planned debate had been entitled “The Importance of Freedom of Speech in Modern Society”.