During Welcome Week we became aware of a stall set up on campus claiming to promote opportunities for ‘dialogue’ on intentionally provocative political issues like immigration and the role of EDI.
Stalls like this, which are run by external organisations with no association with the Student Union, have unfortunately appeared on university campuses before. They are often set up with cameras that capture students' reactions and interactions. Footage is then circulated on social media where harmful rhetoric can be shared in comments sections.
We, the Sabbatical Officers are cognisant of the harm these types of stalls can cause for many students, especially for our minoritised and international students. We are disappointed that the organisation in question seemed to deliberately set up the stall during Welcome Week, upsetting students during what is supposed to be a celebratory time as they join the LSE community.
At LSESU, we openly embrace and welcome our diverse student body and are proud of the backgrounds of our students. We will continue to openly stand for migration, the positive effects of EDI, and LSE students’ rights to abortion. Due to our commitment to the welfare of our student community, we have and will remain to have a zero-tolerance policy regarding hate speech and what we, as Sabbatical Officers, view as fascist rhetoric on our campus.
We understand that the student body has questions and concerns regarding the presence of these stalls, and we wanted to share information on the current situation, signpost support available to you, and resources for safe protest.
Why are these stalls allowed on campus?
Many parts of LSE campus are public rights of way and therefore anyone can set up a stall in these areas. Legally, these types of stalls are allowed to set-up and operate on our campus without permission from LSE or the Students’ Union. We are frustrated with this reality, the rules that govern LSE and higher education institutions sadly allow this type of speech. If you want to learn more, we encourage you to read LSE's governing document on Freedom of Speech or reach out to su.welfareliberation@lse.ac.uk
We continue to engage LSE Senior Management to protect LSE students as more of these stalls may appear throughout this academic year. We are working to better protect students from being provoked into outrage, and to help them navigate freedom of speech on campus.
How can I safely protest?
We recommend reading the Green & Black Cross’ Know Your Rights Guidance to learn how to safely protest. Protestors are ultimately responsible for their own actions at a protest. If you'd like an informal discussion about protest on campus, please reach out to su.welfareliberation@lse.ac.uk or @lsesu.welfarelib on Instagram
We urge students not to engage with these stalls for their own wellbeing and safety. The more students engage with these stalls and organisations, the more oxygen is provided to divisive and hateful politics on our campus.
We encourage anyone affected by stalls on campus to report this via LSE’s Report and Support form.
With love and endless solidarity,
Your LSESU Sabbatical Officers 2026/27