Lewisham police launch inquiry into complaint over controversial #killallwhitemen tweets

 

Bahar Mustafa in front of a sign saying "no white - cis - men". Pic: Change.org

Bahar Mustafa in front of a sign saying “no white – cis – men”. Pic: Change.org

 

Police have launched an investigation into a complaint about alleged ‘racially motivated and malicious’ communications involving the hashtag #killallwhitemen.

Bahar Mustafa, the controversial Diversity Officer of the Students Union at Goldsmiths, has previously acknowledged sending tweets using the same hashtag and similar phrases.

While the Metropolitan Police did not confirm the names of people under investigation they have said it involves tweets using the #killallwhitemen hashtag. The police statement reads:

Police received a complaint on 7 May about a racially motivated malicious communication that had been made on a social media account.
Officers from Lewisham Community Safety Unit investigate.
No arrests, enquiries continue.
 

Mustafa has previously said that hashtags she used in tweets from her personal account, such as #killallwhitemen, were “in-jokes”. She said in a statement: “It’s a way of reclaiming the power from the trauma many of us experience as queers, women, people of colour, who are on the receiving end of racism, misogyny and homophobia daily. These are not political stances.”

On using the #whitetrash tag in her official Student Union account, she says: “I can accept that it was not professional and I do apologise for this.” Both accounts have been deleted.

Mustafa is a former MA Gender and Media Studies student at the university and was re-elected Student Union Welfare and Diversity officer, a paid position, in March.

Goldsmiths Student Union has declined to comment in detail on the the Mustafa controversy. The university has stressed that the Students Union is an independent organisation.

The spotlight has been on Mustafa since she issued an invitation to a diversity event but requested that  “men and/or white” people did not attend.

Mustafa's Facebook post: if "you're a man and/or white please don't come". Pic: The tap

Mustafa’s Facebook post: if “you’re a man and/or white please don’t come”. Pic: The tap

 

As Eastlondonlines revealed earlier today, she has also used images of women armed with weapons on the Facebook page for her election campaign for the post.

Mustafa has not responded to Eastlondonlines’ attempts to contact her.

Additional reporting by Anna Mellin.

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