Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Birmingham University's Guild of Students is latest to ban 'Blurred Lines'

 

Ciara Cohen-Ennis
Tuesday 08 October 2013 14:20 BST
Comments
Robin Thicke performing in June of this year
Robin Thicke performing in June of this year (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The University of Birmingham's Guild of Students has joined Leeds, Edinburgh, Derby, West Scotland and Kingston in banning the controversial song "Blurred Lines".

The guild president, Poppy Wilkinson, said that the decision had been made to ban Robin Thicke's international number one hit as part of a "zero tolerance policy".

"It's taken us a little longer than other student unions and I am truly sorry for that but the safety and protection of our students has always, and will always be, our paramount concern,” she said.

Not every student on campus agrees with the ban.

Second year Stephanie Rendall said: “I think it’s a bit over the top, I understand the video is controversial and I’m not a fan of it, but the song itself is no worse than most of the club songs played at the Guild anyway, like Rihanna’s Rude Boy

“The song doesn’t make me feel unsafe by any stretch of the imagination," said Hannah Aldridge. "People may be offended by the lyrics, but I can’t imagine how someone would feel unsafe.”

Mixed reviews were posted on Twitter in response to the university’s newspaper, Redbrick, asking for students’ reactions.

Thicke has dismissed accusations of rape connotations as ‘ridiculous’, insisting to GQ magazine that he has 'always respected women'.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in