CONTROVERSIAL BAR crawl ‘Carnage’ went ahead on Sunday night, despite criticism from politicians and national press.
Police, MPs and student unions across the country have tried to stop the event which takes place in 45 towns and cities.
The event organisation sparked outrage after Sheffield student Philip Laing was given a prison sentence for urinating on a war memorial while on the bar crawl.
The NUS vice-president slammed the event arguing: “They take students on pub crawls that degrade the participants, put students’ welfare at risk and lead to antisocial behaviour. They make their money and then disappear, leaving student unions, police, and sometimes even the hospitals to pick up the pieces.”
Outrage has been stirred up by national press, with The Sun describing Carnage as “youngsters falling down drunk, hunched in the gutter and sprawled on the pavement.” The Guardian has also described the night as “alcohol-induced mayhem.”
But some have argued that authorities are unfairly stereotyping students. Writing for Vision, one York student has complained that the press are tarring all students with the same brush. The company promotes responsible drinking to its 350,000 student customers and “most of us are actually decent, friendly students.”
Another student said: “There’s not really any reason why people would act much differently on a Carnage night out than any other night out or events organised by the student union like Viking Raid.”
Read the comment piece here.
Looking at the comments in the Yorkshire Post from both the students’ union presidents in York and talking to them both yesterday, they seem to be share my concerns over events such as these.
The Yorkshire Post story can eb found here: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Yorkshire-students-shun-39Carnage-UK39.5806077.jp
The Sun has also written about the company again: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Yorkshire-students-shun-39Carnage-UK39.5806077.jp
They have stated that “Outraged student unions at 17 universities banned booze-ups run by “party” organisers Carnage UK. Five more are poised to follow after MPs, cops and councils blasted the firm. The National Union of Students slammed the “degrading” binges. Vice president Richard Budden confirmed: “Campuses want to see the end of them.””
Councillor James Alexander
Prospective Labour MP for York Outer
FYI:
Philip Laing has not been jailed. His case has been adjourned for a pre-sentence report. Please can this be corrected as it is incorrect and misleading.
Mark
have you never been on a bar crawl before? Get a life.
I was on Carnage last night and left after the second bar. I found it boring and underwhelming.
It’s true that a couple of people looked like they had over-indulged but thats nothing exclusive to Carnage.
Frankly it was just a standard bar crawl, “Night of Mayhem” is a tongue in cheek brand, designed to get people along and paying money.
The whole thing has been blown massively out of proportion.
York Council (and others) determination to suggest that Carnage and student bar crawls are particularly shocking might want to have a look at all the non-student stag/ hen parties, etc. on a Friday and Saturday night. It always seems to me that whilst things get rowdy on a Carnage/Viking Raid, they rarely get violent or nasty. I’ve been in bars with plenty of stag/ hen dos in the city, however, and felt so uncomfortable I’ve had to leave. It’s not a matter of students vs locals, just that the atmosphere is undoubtedly edgier on a regular weekend night than it is on a mass student-led bar crawl. Maybe instead of suggesting it’s once-a-year student events like Carnage that are the issue, the Council might want to look at what’s going on on the 364 other nights of the year.