According to a report from The Telegraph, a Cambridge University college is forcing students to remove their LGBTQ+ Pride flags from their windows.
On Tuesday, Jesus College officials emailed a group of students to take down “any poster, flag or banner [displayed] internally or externally” from their property.
These students were also hit with threats of eviction if they didn’t comply with the request.
“As you are aware it is a breach of the terms of your Licence agreement to display any poster, flag or banner internally or externally from the Property,” the email read.
“The college will take further action if you fail to put right the breach, which could ultimately result in the Licence agreement being terminated in line with Clause 6.1.”
Students faced a similar issue last month when they were informed they must remove ‘all flags and banners’ following a month of LGBTQ+ History celebrations.
The email, titled ‘LGBTQ+ Pride Flags and Banners’, was sent on March 1st which marked the end of the annual LGBTQ+ History Month.
Students both past and present have expressed their disappointment in Jesus College and their email.
The former president of the Jesus College Students Union, Aurelio Petrucci, criticised the email in a statement to the Telegraph.
“Forcing students to remove posters which criticise the college on pain of eviction is truly awful,” he said.
“By threatening to evict students for exercising their basic right to self-expression, all this will do is add to the stress and anxiety students are already feeling about the pandemic and their exams.”
Petrucci also urged the college to apologize to the students impacted by this email.
“The college needs to reconsider this immediately, and apologise. I can only hope they start to listen to the student union and stop trying to curtail our right to free speech and free expression of our identities,” he exclaimed.
The college spokesperson has also released a statement regarding the institution’s actions against flag displays.
“We encourage all community members to express themselves and their views, as long as it doesn’t break their license agreement or the law,” he stated.
“We have asked everyone living in college accommodation abides by the agreement they signed.
“We have informed students that we will run an in-depth consultation this term with students, fellows and staff about the most inventive and creative ways to enable this in college for the benefit of the whole community.”
Related: Cambridge students told to take down ‘all flags’ following LGBTQ+ History Month
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