Student group given 428,000 from Lottery 'good causes' fund
By Philip Johnston
Last Updated: 1:57am GMT 08/03/2007
The Telegraph
The group that has called for Prof Coleman's removal is the Oxford branch of Star – Student Action for Refugees.
The parent body is partly funded by the taxpayer with a grant of more than 150,000 over three years through the Department for Education's national voluntary youth organisation programme.
It was also given a grant of 428,000 last year from the Big Lottery Fund, which distributes cash to good causes.
Katherine Blaker, the chief executive of the national organisation said: ''Star is a national network of students and young people who take positive action in support of refugees. Star national office provides support, information and advice to students and young people in their activities. Student groups are locally constituted members of the student unions at their respective universities who affiliate to the national network.
“The national office provides training and support to student groups to enable them to campaign on local issues of concern to them. Star is committed to freedom of speech and seeks to stimulate debate and engage people in refugee issues.”
The Oxford group has submitted the following petition to the university authorities.
We the undersigned note that:
David Coleman has been Professor of Demography at the University of Oxford since October 2002.Coleman is also a consultant and spokesperson for Migration Watch.Coleman is a member of the Eugenics Society, now called the Galton Institute.Coleman is acquiring a public image in the ongoing public debate about immigration, and that he is using his status as a university professor to legitimise the views and reports produced by Migration Watch.
We the undersigned believe that:
Migration Watch masquerades as an independent non-partisan organisation, but in fact has a strong anti-immigration bias.Through his many media appearances Professor Coleman is bringing the university into disrepute by associating it with the views of Migration Watch.Immigrants contribute more than the equivalent of a Mars bar per month to the UK, as claimed by Migration Watch in January 2007.
We the undersigned call on the University to:
Ask Professor David Coleman to refrain from using his academic title when appearing on behalf of Migration Watch in the media.Consider the suitability of Coleman's continued tenure as a Professor of the University, in light of his well-known opinions and affiliations relating to immigration and eugenics.
