Several stickers belonging to the far-right ‘Identitarian Movement’ have been spotted around the University of Birmingham campus and in Selly Oak. 

The stickers display the group’s logo: an inverted ‘V’ behind a blue-tongued lion. 

The Guild of Students issued a statement last Thursday condemning the placement of these stickers as a ‘hate crime’ and a form of discrimination.

The statement went on to say: ‘as an inclusive, representative organisation we unreservedly condemn the promotion of this organisation and we are disturbed to find this material on campus.

‘All students have the right to live and study in a safe and supportive environment.’ 

Guild President Joshua Williams stated that he was ‘angered and disappointed’ to see such material within the University’s community and urged people to ‘speak up’ to combat hate crime.

One second-year Chemical Engineering PHD student told Redbrick that he found the ‘presence of such stickers deeply troubling’ with the movement representing a ‘new wave’ of alt-right politics which has been emboldened by the rhetoric of some politicians in this country.

He told Redbrick that the presence of these stickers ‘sends the wrong message to our international friends.’

The Identitarian Movement is a pan-European movement, originating in France, which defines itself as an extra-parliamentary opposition movement advocating an extreme form of ethno-nationalism. 

The movement stokes fear of a so called ‘Great Replacement,’ in which indigenous Europeans are replaced by non-European migrants. They argue this threat validates tighter control over immigration.

The movement itself came under scrutiny after the Christchurch attacks in March 2019, with the suspect having donated €1,500 to the Austrian branch of the movement in early 2018.

Birmingham is notably one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the UK. The 2011 census revealed that 42% of the city’s 1.2 million population is made up of ethnic minorities while Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) staff make up 21% of the University’s workforce. The incident comes a year after a similar offence at Aston University. Two men were jailed in June 2018 for plastering racist stickers belonging to the Fascist group National Action around campus.