Warwick: Tory student group apologises over video ‘showing members singing and dancing to Nazi song’
A Tory student group has apologised after a video reportedly showed its members singing and dancing to a Nazi marching song.
The clip, taken at a chairman’s dinner at the University of Warwick Conservatives Association two weeks ago, shows people singing Erika – a song that was used by the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
Follow latest updates on the general election
The Sunday Times, which obtained the footage, said it shows several members of the association dancing and laughing as the song plays on the sound system.
The footage ends after one member sees the camera and says: “Don’t film!”, according to the newspaper.
In a statement, the University of Warwick Conservatives Association said it “wholeheartedly condemns the behaviour exhibited during this video and apologises for any offence that has been caused”.
It said most of those in the video “were completely unaware of the origins and connotations of the song”, but the member who asked for the song to be played would no longer be welcome at its events.
The association said a person heard “actively singing lyrics” was not a member but “has been barred from future events along with others”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
However, it rejected allegations of being a “toxic society” that “normalises racism”.
The association said its members have “consistently campaigned against antisemitism on campus, including campaigning to disaffiliate Warwick Student’s Union from the National Union of Students over its failure to deal with antisemitism”.
“Our members have also worked hard to ensure the Students Union commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day in a fitting way,” it added.
“We are proud of these efforts and will continue to stand against discrimination.”
Read more:
Farage speech interrupted by Putin banner
‘Gravely concerning’ claims of Russian interference in election
The Union of Jewish Students called the video “utterly abhorrent” and a “blatant and unchallenged support for Nazism”, as it called on the Tory Party to take action.
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said the student group was not affiliated to it.
“There is no place for racism in the Conservative Party and we will always ensure appropriate action is taken against any member who acts in ways that are not in accordance with our values of tolerance and respect,” the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for Warwick University said: “We have been made aware of this video and the allegations surrounding it, which are extremely troubling.
“Behaviour like this is reprehensible and we are disappointed to see our students involved.
“The university is reviewing the material disclosed to us via our reporting service and has notified the Student’s Union.
“We have requested a meeting with the Jewish Society to assist with our review.”
Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and head of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, reaffirmed the right to crypto self-custody and privacy in financial transactions.
“I’m a freedom maximalist,” Peirce told The Rollup podcast on Friday, while saying that self-custody of assets is a fundamental human right. She added:
“Why should I have to be forced to go through someone else to hold my assets? It baffles me that in this country, which is so premised on freedom, that would even be an issue — of course, people can hold their own assets.”
Peirce added that online financial privacy should be the standard. “It has become the presumption that if you want to keep your transactions private, you’re doing something wrong, but it should be exactly the opposite presumption,” she said.
The comments came as the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity Act, a crypto market structure bill that includes provisions for self-custody, anti-money laundering(AML) regulations, and asset taxonomy, is delayed until 2026, according to Senator Tim Scott.
Related: SEC to hold privacy and financial surveillance roundtable in December
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) challenge Bitcoin’s self-custody ethos
Many large Bitcoin (BTC) whales and long-term holders are pivoting from self-custody to ETFs to reap the tax benefits and hassle-free management of owning crypto in an investment vehicle.
“We are witnessing the first decline in self-custodied Bitcoin in 15 years,” Dr. Martin Hiesboeck, the head of research at crypto exchange Uphold, said.
Hiesboeck attributed the shift to the SEC approving in-kind creations and redemptions for crypto ETFs in July, which allowed authorized holders to exchange crypto for ETF shares and vice versa without triggering a taxable event, unlike cash-settled ETFs.
“A move away from the self-custody mantra of ‘not your keys, not your coins’ is another nail in the coffin of the original crypto spirit,” Hiesboeck added.
In February, notable Bitcoin analyst and investor PlanB, the developer of the BTC stock-to-flow model, announced that he transferred his Bitcoin to ETFs to alleviate the “hassle” of private key management.
PlanB’s announcement caused an outcry in the Bitcoin community, as many voiced concerns that handing over custody to a third party clashed with Bitcoin’s core values.
Magazine: When privacy and AML laws conflict: Crypto projects’ impossible choice
Jeremy Corbyn has declined to say his Your Party co-founder Zarah Sultana is a friend as supporters of the new grouping gather in Liverpool.
Speaking to Sky News on the eve of the conference, Mr Corbyn acknowledged “stresses and strains” in the set-up of the party but said it had become “a lot better in the last few days and weeks and we’re going to get through this weekend”.
The former Labour leader has publicly clashed with Ms Sultana, the MP for Coventry South, over the launch and structure of the new party.
Asked if they were friends, Mr Corbyn said they were “colleagues in parliament, and we obviously communicate and so on”.
The pair appeared at separate events on the eve of the party’s inaugural gathering.
Ms Sultana had previously claimed she was being “sidelined” by a “sexist boys’ club” within the fledgling party.
Mr Corbyn said her comments were an “unfortunate choice of words” but added that he had been more involved in the organisation of the conference than she had.
The co-founders have had a strained relationship since setting up the party. Pic: Your Party
The Islington North MP also said that Your Party was still waiting for Ms Sultana to transfer all of the funds she had raised from supporters.
“Obviously having money up front for a conference is a big help,” he said.
Ms Sultana has insisted she is transferring the donations in stages.
The weekend gathering in Liverpool will see supporters choose between four options for a permanent party name: Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance, For the Many.
The preferred choice of Ms Sultana – The Left – did not make the ballot.
Similarly, the Coventry MP had said she favoured a co-leader approach, but members will only be able to pick between single leadership or collective leadership models.
Speaking at her own pre-conference rally, Ms Sultana blamed a “nameless, faceless bureaucrat” for restricting the choices.
Read more from Sky News:
Reeves accused of deliberately making UK finances look worse
Famous names affected by prostate cancer criticise screening decision
The meeting also risked being disrupted by a series of member expulsions. One of those ejected, Lewis Nielsen, accused a “clique” of trying to “take over”.
Your Party sources said expulsions related to members of the Socialist Workers Party and that holding another national party membership was not allowed.
Ms Sultana blamed a “culture of paranoia at the top” and said she believed the same people who had been briefing against her were now also expelling members.
Mr Corbyn will open the conference on Saturday, while the results of the main decision-making votes will be announced on Sunday.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024