Cardiff University criticised for following salacious and misogynistic Instagram account

Martin Shipton

Cardiff University has “unfollowed” a salacious Instagram account that has been condemned for fostering an atmosphere in which sexual violence and misogyny are normalised.

A Cardiff University student contacted Nation.Cymru to say: “There is an Instagram account called Cardiffunibanter which describes itself as the best place for confessions, memes and banter in Cardiff. It publishes anonymous submissions from students. Among the posts are anonymous allegations relating to rape and sexual assault, alongside posts containing misogynistic and sexually derogatory comments about women. All these posts have hundreds of likes on them and are often reshared, sometimes hundreds of times.

“I believe this content contributes to the perpetuation of rape culture by normalising misogynistic attitudes and discussions of sexual violence.

“What particularly caught my attention is that the official Cardiff University Instagram account follows this page.

“The issue has made me think about the wider conversation currently taking place around university culture and sexual violence following the recent allegations from Cornell University in the US. It made me question whether similar issues around sexual violence and the responsibilities of universities are being overlooked here in Wales.

“I do not know whether these anonymous posts are true. Rather, I believe there is a question worth asking about what is happening within the university community in Cardiff, particularly when an account associated with students is publicly publishing anonymous allegations of rape and sexual assault alongside misogynistic content, while the University’s official Instagram account follows it.

“Cardiff University’s own current Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment Policy states that it has a zero-tolerance approach. I would therefore be interested in whether the University is aware of the account and its content, whether it has received any reports or concerns relating to the account, and why its official Instagram account follows the page.”

Screenshots taken from the account, which has around 16,600 followers, show:

• A rape allegation that was publicly displayed for several days and was eventually removed “because it goes against Instagram community standards” rather than because it consisted of unlawful content in the UK;
• An allegation of sexual assault;
• A submission relating to an alleged “cyberflashing” incident;
• Multiple posts in which women are called “tarts”;
• Posts in which women are described as “hoes”, “slags”, “chopped” and “jezzy”.

Concerns

The student sent Nation.Cymru a subsequent email stating: “Cardiff University has now unfollowed the Cardiffunibanter account. I only became aware of this because Time To Act (a student campaign tackling sexual misconduct within the University) briefly told me via Instagram direct message that they had raised concerns about this with the Students’ Union. From my understanding, this ultimately resulted in the University unfollowing the account.

“As far as I am aware, there has been no public acknowledgement from Cardiff University that its official account was following Cardiffunibanter in the first place, or that it has now unfollowed it.

“There has been some attention on Cardiffunibanter itself, including an attempt by The Tab Cardiff (a student-led news site) to write about the account, although I have concerns about the way that article approached the issue. But nothing was said about Cardiff University. The silence around this part of the story concerns me, because it feels as though a significant question about the University’s own involvement is being overlooked.”

Monitor

A spokesperson for Cardiff University said: “We are aware of this account and the deeply concerning nature of the posts.

“Such accounts have been around for some time and there are other accounts at other Welsh and UK universities.

“To be clear, following the account was not in any way an endorsement. The account is not affiliated or associated with Cardiff University, nor are we aware of who is responsible for it.

“We followed the account so we could actively monitor and report such posts. We have unfollowed the account in response to the concerns expressed by our Students’ Union and from staff, students and members of the public. We have also reported the posts and the account itself. We will continue to do so and encourage everyone to do the same.

“There are two other Cardiff-based universities. They may also be aware and share our concerns as it may potentially involve their Cardiff-based students.

“To be clear: this is not just banter. As a University we’re committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment where everyone has the right to feel safe and treated with dignity and respect. If anyone is in immediate danger we would urge them to call the emergency services immediately on 999. If anyone feels unsafe on our campus, they can call Cardiff University Security. Our Security Control Room is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Sexual violence, sexual harassment, and all forms of gender-based violence are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. We take all reports of this kind of behaviour very seriously and our policies and procedures make this absolutely clear. Students can use our confidential online tool, Report and Support, to access trauma-informed help or anonymously tell us about something that has happened. Staff, parents and members of the public can also use Report and Support if they are worried about a student. Additional advice is also available on our student intranet.

“We also acknowledge the potential impact of recent events at Cornell University and have provided advice to our students via our student intranet and app. A notification has been sent to all students linking to the article.

“We would always encourage our students to raise such concerns with the University direct. If your anonymous source is uncomfortable providing their personal details they can do so anonymously via our confidential online tool, Report and Support.”

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