President of the Oxford Union has resigned over an act of violence that involved a blind Ghanaian student, during a society debate.
Ebenezer Azamati, the Ghanaian student in question, is said to have been approached by a security guard, on October 17th, when he tried to take a seat he had reserved, before the discussion
On Saturday he was found innocent of any wrongdoing.
Brendan McGrath, the president of the Union, apologized for his “mistakes” and has since resigned.
Mr Azamati, who is a postgraduate student at university, recounts the experience saying, it made him feel “unwelcome in the union, Oxford and even the country”.
Mr McGarth, apologized to the Africa Society, after the charges against Mr Azamati were appealed, “for the distress and any reputational damage” to the student.
Representing Mr Azamati, Helen Mountfield QC had said there were ongoing discussions with the union to figure out the “faults” exposed by this case.
Mr McGrat, in a letter to the standing committee posted on the facebook page of the Oxford Union, said, “For all my shortcomings, and all of my mistakes, I apologise profusely and unqualifiedly.
“Managing the response to Mr Azamati’s eviction from the debate has been “the most difficult thing I’ve ever been charged with”.
Continuing he said, “The right response would not have begun with prosecution and apportioning blame; it would have addressed immediately the extreme distress of all involved,”
Before appending his signature to his resignation document, Mr McGarth proposed “a full, public and independent review” of the union’s policies in relation to disability, how it trains its staff and whether the current security system “is fit for the purpose of a student society”.
The Oxford Union is a body independent of the Oxford University and is known for hosting debates and speeches that date as far back as to 1823.
The Oxford University previously showed their support for Mr Azamati in a tweet, sharing in “the widespread outrage regarding the unacceptable treatment” of the student.
We share the widespread outrage regarding the unacceptable treatment of Ebenezer Azamati, a member of our University community, at the Oxford Union. Ebenezer’s college and the University are working to fully support him.
— Oxford University (@UniofOxford) November 18, 2019
