Vic Students Express Disgust At Destiny On Marae

Victoria Students Express Disgust At Destiny On Marae

Victoria University students expressed discomfort and anger today as they learnt that Destiny Church, the fundamentalist organisation behind Monday's "Enough is Enough" rally, were housed at Te Herenga Waka, the marae on the Kelburn campus of Victoria University. Many also stayed at Wellington High School and the Wellington campus of Massey University.

"Students have spoken to me about the discomfort and downright fear they feel at having Destiny Church on our campus" said Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) president Amanda Hill today.

"We have a considerable proportion of gay and lesbian students, many who feel strongly about reproductive rights, solo parenting and the rights of those in the sex industry" said Hill. "They feel threatened by the expressions of hate toward many of these groups recently made at the Destiny protest".

Victoria students had a strong presence at the pro-Civil Union Bill counter demonstration, and Hill said that almost all came away feeling threatened or afraid of the Destiny Church participants.

"While we respect the right of Destiny or any other group to the freedom of speech and expression through protest, we also feel very strongly that this group does not belong on the marae of our students" said Hill.

"If this was motivated by any financial gain by the University, I am saddened that public institutions feel the need to prioritise income from external sources over the safety and dignity of our students" Hill said today.

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