THE new chancellor of Salford University has urged students to stand up against political extremism.
Irene Khan, the head of human rights charity Amnesty International, said students had a responsibility to challenge racism.
She spoke out in the wake of the recent election of Nick Griffin as a north west MEP.
Although the historic role is largely honorary, Ms Khan promised that she would be a familiar face in Salford and would also visit local schools to promote higher education.
Bangladesh-born Ms Khan, 52, came to Britain as a teenager after her family was forced to flee political violence.
She trained as a lawyer at Manchester University in the 1970s and spent more than 20 years working for the United Nations, before being appointed Amnesty's secretary general in 2001.
She said: "Students aren't living in an ivory tower. I hope they will use their degrees to fight prejudice.
"A lot of change has happened in Salford over the years. The city has grown and developed a lot. It has become an exciting place for students but there are still social problems.
Aspirations
"I hope that the university will continue to be engaged with those problems. There are problems with racism but also underlying issues of exclusion and poverty. I want to promote the aspirations of children living in local communities.
"They should be told about what a great university is on their doorstep and the advantages it can bring."
Her appointment marks a change in the senior figures at Salford University.
Retiring principal Michael Harloe will be replaced next month by South African academic Martin Hall, renowned for fighting apartheid in his home country during the 1980s.
Ms Khan's role as chancellor involves chairing meetings of university managers, representing the university at formal occasions and handing out degrees.
But the human rights lawyer vowed she would play an active role.
She said: "I will spend as much time as I can with staff and students. I spent some of my happiest years in this part of the country."
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Ive seen how in communities deprived for many years the community turns in on itself and filled with malice and hatred.The crime or harm that comes from this to society in general is nothing compared to how people treat one another.Ive not worked in multi cultural areas,but add that to the mix and imagine.I hope you will write some articles in MEN about this.
The problem in deprived areas is just that, deprivation...not racism. I think it is a bit rich that the new Chancellor cannot see the distinction.
When people are under pressure from lack of money, housing, employment, and pressure from alcohol, crime and drugs, then they turn in on each other, race doesn't come into it; it may manifest itself sometimes like that, but if these communities were homogenous in make up they would still have the problems. Take the pressure away and the infighting will subside.
I hate when people raise the race issue out of context, especially in somewhere like Manchester and Salford which has a long history of integration with scarecely any problems. I was raised in the 50s and 60s in Hulme on the Moss Side boundary, of an Irish background surrounded by West Indians, never a problem, never.
nyb.I lived in Hulme myself for 8 yrs in the 90's,during the demolition and start of rebuilding.In fact I wish Id never left.It was impossible to get back there when I realized my mistake after moving to a Manchester overspill. I learned about what had changed from the early 80's when Id lived on another overspill.Id expected everything to be the same.As stated the community had turned in on itself in a way I was shocked by.That isnt to say that in Hulme there were no complaints from the people born there about who had priority for the newly built properties.Had I not moved from there I would probably have no knowledge about how areas all over Manchester had declined.I would have blamed it all on the people stuck there, or the truth about how powerless people had been made,and an understanding of the apathy and hopelessness.Mob families were emptying entire streets.Everyone walked on egg shells and was afraid to speak.I cant imagine what its like for people granted asylum coming into this or what they make of it.Maybe they stay silent too so as not to be seen as ungrateful.Sometimes I wonder how things are still ticking over every day but they are.Buses ,trains and planes are still going,bins are emptied,we have clean drinking water,light and heat.Most people have homes,phones, healthy kids.Theres help for disabled or ill.We take education for granted.Im done.Going to shops now and going to try not to make 1 complaint for the rest of the day.Its become like a full time job again.Enough.Im sick of hearing myself!
Students should have a responsibility to themselves, to work hard, do well and get educated.
My son is currently studying at Herriot Watt, its incredible when I go up to visit (and give him more money) how many of the students he knows are anti this, anti that and anti everything! One of his mates who he lives with really makes me laugh. He is a member of the Socialists society, the student Anti Nazi League, Anti Vivisectionist and also protested the University kitchens for serving meat.
What really makes me laugh was when I went collect my son after the end of his first year I met this lads dad. From Surrey, driving a Bentley and he owns an architects company that designed a damn that destroyed half the lowlands on a river in China!!!!!!!!!!!
Talk about the hypocrisy and nonsense students come out with! My son calls this lad a 'trustafarian' because he is white, rich, middle class and has dread-locks............
Thank the lord my son doesn't care about anything but playing Rugby, where his next beer is coming from, trying to get his leg over and get a decent enough degree he doesn't end up sponging off me for the rest of his life!
He isnt wasting his time trying to change the world, lots of time for that after he has had some fun and got an education!
Well Angie, I think your posts are always worth reading. You clearly care about the city; I think it's just the way "society" is going which gets to you. Keep on with your "complaints" they are good reading.
I left Manchester in 1984, so keep up to date with things via MEN and these postings. All my memories are still coloured by the "idyllic" 50s/60s poor childhood I had; Im so grateful for my schools, St Wilfrids and St. Gregorys, and the education they gave me from teachers who cared and were friends. I suspect it's not the same anymore anywhere.