Sunday 14th September 2025
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A load of balls

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Like any production, backstage at a ball is where the real drama takes place. Brainstorming, bitching, bonding – the months and meetings that form the foundations of a ball are equally as action-packed as the minutes that make up the night.

On an evening like last Saturday, when Oxford witnessed six competing balls, the pressure on a ball committee to perform is immense.

The team needs attractions booked, entertainments lined up, sponsors involved, launch parties organised, alcohol licensed – all this months in advance.

In the immediate run up to the ball, ticket sales become the priority. Pidges and bike baskets are littered with flyers. Ball t-shirts and hoodies appear all over Oxford.

Facebook is a great tool for free advertising – posters replace profile pictures, status updates count down the days, and event groups send out messages updating you on the limited number of tickets available.

There’s a fine line between promotion and overkill though; some balls have been known to be that little bit too keen, causing people to leave their event in frustration at the ten messages, spamming their inbox daily.

When it comes to the actual night, the committee faces its biggest task yet– creating an atmosphere. A ball without an atmosphere is as enjoyable as a film without a plot.

It is not enough to have flash entertainments or spectacular décor, creating a mood that people can lose themselves in is vital.

That’s not to regulate the kind of tone that would work; some balls are known as gateways to old Oxford glamour, others for a night of all things drunk and debauched courtesy of unlimited free cocktails, several are little more than an exercise in networking (albeit often under the guise of a fundraiser).

Whichever type you opt for, though, it’s the atmosphere or lack thereof that can make or break a ball. Ultimately a ball, like so many other Oxford pastimes, is based on a premise of escapism. It’s a night that whisks you away to another time and place, takes you on a journey.

Just as adverts for big brands like Nokia, Smirnoff and Honda are following the trend of evolutionary voyages in the marketing world, so it seems the Oxford ball has evolved into an holiday package, taking you ‘Around the world in 80  days’ or transporting you back in time to ‘Moulin Rouge’ and the days of excess of the ‘Silk Road Exhibition’.

The people that come to a ball are the biggest contributors to its atmosphere. It is not uncommon for winners of free tickets in raffle draws to be strategically chosen for their social pulling power, nor is it unheard of for ball committees to target groups of people for ticket sales – blues rowers, union hacks, thesps and so on.

The category a ball falls under will play a part in attracting various groups of people. Moreover guests’ conceptions of a ball, resulting from the type of ball it is, will play a significant role in conditioning the ambiance on the night. Commemoration balls are the classic Trinity occasion, a ninth week tradition that has lasted for decades.

Over the past few years the classic commemoration balls of Magdalen and New have been great successes, but this year there are four big balls: Christ Church, Trinity, Worcester and St John’s.

Some would argue that St Johns is not historically a commemoration ball and so should be treated as no more than a grand-scale college ball. Either way, the ticket prices alone elevate John’s ball into the league of the big-players.

College balls such as the five held last Saturday tend to be more understated affairs, with a large number of ticket sales guaranteed by the College’s own contingent and their guests. There are less calls for major entertainment acts, and more for a night of good fun with lots of smaller attractions to keep people diverted throughout the night.

Charity balls have had a strong showing this term, with Hands Up for Dafurs evening in First Week gaining a lot of exposure. Societies often host annual balls that are marketed as charity events, all profits going to a related organization. The Majlis ‘Spice Ball’, a non-college ball of last Saturday, was one such ball.

Continuing in the Asian society’s tradition of hosting an annual ball, an evening was put on at the Town Hall, all profits going to TravelAid Nepal and Zindigi India.

Entz are often touted as the major selling point of a ball. At some college balls where it’s easy to get lost from your friends with little effort the emphasis has turned to providing people with fun distractions.

The advantage is that it avoids the awkward need to and mill around having the same conversation over and over (How was your vac? Enjoying term? What are your plans for the summer?).

Still, for a ball committee there is always a debate over the balance to strike between a couple of ‘big entz’ and a host of ‘smaller ents’.

Whilst commemoration balls have license to play their cards close to their chests, aware that their historical pulling power holds great  appeal when selling tickets, there appear to be come differences in their approaches for this year’s Commemoration Week.

The Trinity ‘Illusion’ Ball will host laser quest and dodgems as two big attractions that will certainly attract big crowds throughout the night, in addition to promising a headlining stadium act.

St John’s, on the other hand, has this year adopted a different approach to the current trends for journey balls. Entitled simply The Ball 2008, their 9th week sell-out extravaganza has been cleverly marketed to make an impact, but is there really anything new and entertaining about henna artists, tarot card readers and magicians?

The novelty soon wears off, even when you are being provided with unlimited alcohol from dusk till dawn.

Thankfully St Johns, like all the commemoration balls, has the power to attract big sponsors and to sell tickets with prices in the hundreds, allowing for greater financial resources to splash out on bigger entertainments and promises of international acts to give their guests a spectacular evening.

With Worcester and Christ Church also competing for the commemoration crown, all four of the big commemoration balls are guaranteed sell-outs. Promising headlining acts against a backdrop of decadence, luxury and class, it is at this stage a close call for which will be the best.

It is, though, certain that – more so than for any other kind of ball – for a commemoration ball it will be the atmosphere on the night that determines its success.

Beyond the void

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To the uninitiatied, Simon Yates is your average Yorkshireman; he has no airs or graces, he has a young family and he’s most concerned with when he can next get out of doors. But to both the international climbing community and those who have read the bestselling ‘Touching the Void’, this unprepossessing Northerner becomes not just a well known figure, but an inspiration and an icon.

Joe Simpson’s 1989 book, and Kevin MacDonald’s highly acclaimed 2003 film of the same name, both document Yates’ ill-fated expedition to climb the 6,344 metre Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes with Simpson. Despite initial success on the route, once the pair had reached the summit their expedition took a tragic turn when Simpson broke his leg in the descent. The two men endeavoured to complete the descent with Yates lowering Simpson down the remainder of the mountain. The moment around which the story revolves is when the pair run out of rope half way down a section, leaving Simpson hanging dangerously high above the next safe stopping point, and Yates bearing his entire weight and being slowly pulled from his position above.

 

Yates’ decision to cut the rope was one motivated by self preservation and has always been supported by Simpson, who managed to survive the fall and crawl back to the base camp before Yates and their support partner, Richard, pictured. It is a truly thrilling story of courage and human endeavour and one that has inspired a generation of mountaineers.

And, yet, despite this epic ordeal, when I speak to him, Yates is remarkably unfazed by the experience. He asserts that this was just one episode in a lifetime of successful expeditions, and claims he was too young for it to affect him too deeply at the time. He describes himself at that time in the same way any young climber would; driven by adrenaline to the point of recklessness and claims that it was only when he entered his thirties that his attitude to risk and danger changed sufficiently to alter the pattern of life he had created for himself.

 

He does admit, however, that his experience on the Siula Grande made him acutely aware of unnecessary risk, and while all climbers are aware of the inherent risks involved on the mountain, Yates says that it undoubtedly takes a first hand experience for a climber to genuinely acknowledge these risks.

I ask if his attitude towards there inherent risks has changed at all since he had children five years ago. His gruff Yorkshire accent softens slightly as he replies that he started taking fewer uncalculated risks when he grew up in his late twenties, but that it is time he is more aware of now, rather than risk. As a climber in his mid-forties, all risks taken are only ever going to be necessary, calculated risks, but as a father he is aware that any time spent climbing is time spent away from his children, and he therefore tries to strike a balance between being at home as a father and being away as a climber.

While it may seem a somewhat irrelevant, or obvious, question I ask what it is that inspires him to climb. The climbing community is peppered with mountaineers who climb for the fulfilment of ambition and sense of achievement at conquering nature but there are equal numbers who climb for the all round experience, for the mental and physical challenge the sport offers. Yates falls into the latter category, enjoying climbing for the experience of reconnecting with the natural world; he finds mountains uplifting places to be.

I ask about the often discussed connection between mountaineering and environmentalism, and he describes himself as one of many climbers who is not a great consumer of material things, with the exception of kerosene on craggy hillsides, and asserts that climbers can actively contribute to environmental issues, especially the protection of natural areas.

 

Yates talks passionately about individuals being able to make a genuine difference if they truly love certain natural places, as this raises the public’s awareness of such places, and their importance. He cites the example of the 1930s organised mass trespasses in the Lake District to alert the authorities to the importance of these places in the lives of ordinary people’s lives.

 

Later on in our interview Yates talks proudly of the British climbing tradition of passion and modesty for their activities. He says that, in contrast to the showmanship of many continental climbers, their British counterparts are understated and honest in their endeavours that makes them a pleasure to climb with and learn from. He is excited by the current popularity of the sport and its growing fan base, which he attributes to mountaineers, such as Sir Chris Bonnington, Joe Simpson and, I’m sure, himself, who have written books and given speeches passionately extolling the virtues of their chosen sport.

Yates has now written two books of his mountaineering experiences and gives regular lectures and speeches on the motivational aspects of the sport. He says he has never seen the appeal of a ‘normal’ job, and despite working as an access worker in his twenties it was always done as a means to fund his climbing trips. His lectures are also part of an income that now needs to satisfy not just his own adventures, but also a young family, although they do place him an the favourable position of being able to talk about the thing he loves in the name of work and he hopes that his talks spread the joy he feels for what he does.

 

Talking to Yates, his obvious passion and enjoyment for climbing is infectious and, as one of the most accomplished British climbers of his generation, his obvious skill is formidable yet he conveys it all in with characteristic honesty and modesty. While his experience on the Siula Grande was debilitating, within two months he was back in the Alps and back on the way to a lifetime of good experiences in the mountains he loves.


Simon Yates’ ‘Beyond the Void’ will be at the Oxford Playhouse on Friday 9 May.

Guevel dominates Varsity kickboxing

Borna Guevel produced a scintillating display as Oxford dominated their Cambridge counterparts in the 2008 Varsity kickboxing competition. The Super Middleweight from Ruislip mirrored the dominance and aggression displayed by the Blues squad as a whole, in a comprehensive 5-1 victory.

The Oxford team had already muscled into a 2-0 lead as Guevel entered Keble’s O’Reilly theatre with a partisan Oxford crowd echoing his every step with applause. The location, more familiar with Shakespeare and Hamlet than straight jabs and helmets, became akin to a gladiatorial amphitheatre as the majority of the crowd frantically chanted his name.  Amongst them were at least forty of his fellow Somervillians, whom Guevel acknowledged both pre and post fight with raised fists, in the manner of a Roman fighter.

The intense Guevel instantaneously launched into his opponent James Waddell; the Cambridge man was so taken aback that he fell twice within the opening ten seconds in an attempt to avoid two ferocious front kicks; the fierceness of the attacks was mimicked by the cheers of his fans.

He continued to pummel Waddell for the duration of the round, making it redundant to attempt an analysis of the contest; such was the swiftness and fury of the Oxfordian’s strikes. As the second round began, the crowd’s blood-thirsty screams were quenched when the man from the blue corner continued his domination, breaking Waddell’s nose. Guevel was docked two points for belligerently hammering away at his Cambridge adversary but this did nothing to halt his series of jabs, right-hand crosses and side kicks.

To his credit, Waddell bravely rallied in the final minute and a half, even sending Guevel onto the ground, although some would argue the contest had ended within the first ten seconds. Guevel celebrated with the same intensity he had shown during the previous three rounds as he was announced a close 30-29 victor: Waddell’s face told a different story, as the hungry competitor’s ravenous strikes left his face resembling a ketchup-stained platter.

The victorious Guevel spoke after the fight, stating “it was one of the best nights of my life; I trained so hard so it was good to beat Cambridge.” The ring should have been covered with sand as opposed to canvas, given the severity of Waddell’s beating.
“I hear I damaged his ribs with one of my right roundhouse kicks and obviously mashed his face with a lot of cross punches and hooks. His face was completely covered in blood so I think I did a good job”.

 

This appraisal was remonstrated vociferously on Sunday night by his mass of fans. He, along with fellow Somerville team-mate James Richardson, commanded a fantastic reception, one which the youngster won’t forget.

 “Thank you to everyone who was there for the awesome support I got; hearing everyone when I won was one of the best feelings in my life.”

If he continues his Varsity career the way he began, he should become very well acquainted with the emotions he felt on Sunday.

It’s just not cricket: Ice Hockey

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It’s midnight on a Wednesday night. Super Bonz? Sex on the Beat? Something a little more alternative? Apparently there’s a bit of a mad one going on at the Oxford Ice Rink. Midnight Ice Hockey. Whatever floats your boat.

But seriously, rumour has it that groups of around seventy or eighty ‘Alternatives’ (as they have come to be known) descend on Oxpens Road for a late night ‘pick-up’ session, as it is known in Canada. For such an outlandish idea, these clandestine meetings have been taking place ever since 1885, with a cuppers tournament that is almost into its twentieth year of competition.

 

Brutal body-checks and no holds barred dust-ups? Contrary to our perhaps ignorant impression of Ice Hockey that we get from the NHL, this is a more cordial affair. These guys are happy just to play for the love of the game, with meets not refereed and total disregard shown for keeping the score. A number of the current university Ice Hockey team began in this fashion as it is the ideal stepping stone to nurture both interest and possibly even talent.

Club president John Mellor claims to be ‘happy with the niche’ that the Alternatives have carved out for themselves, encouraging participation first and competitiveness second. The unusual playing conditions and environment add an extra level of allure apparently. Certainly some achievement for such a minority interest to attract over a hundred competitors at the recent cuppers tournament.

Although the group stages were taken with a pinch of salt, in keeping with the club’s unequivocal ethos, the action intensified to a fitting climax, after an extra-time golden goal victory in the semi-finals, with the Exeter ‘Spartans’ going on to claim the spoils. An observer is quoted as saying “I didn’t really know what to expect, as I haven’t seen a lot of Ice Hockey, but I stand corrected. I actually quite enjoyed it – I was really surprised by the level of interest and commitment.”

So maybe some serious consideration must be made over the relative benefits of a few alcopops and a kebab over a night of seemingly informal and yet unquestionably invigorating entertainment. Midnight Ice Hockey is staking its claim as Oxford’s definitive ‘Alternative’ sport.

If you wish to have your sport highlighted in ‘It’s Just Not Cricket’, email sport [at] cherwell.org

Oxford pummel Tab kickboxers

A kickboxing demonstration was followed by an entertaining six-bout undercard; the highlight coming from Oxford’s Jack Cadeel, who disposed of Peter Offen in an indication of the entertainment to come for the rapidly growing crowd.

The main-event began with the entrance of Cambridge’s Soren Demin, who looked relaxed but maybe overconfident as he prepared to fight Jamie Kitt. The Worcester man quashed his haughtiness, looking to establish his kicking in the first round with a series of front kicks. Kitt landed a fantastic roundhouse kick to the face in the second round as the Cambridge Light Welterweight looked to counter his strikes but Kitt was too quick and skilful for him. In the final round, the Oxford fighter kept his challenger at bay with rapid combinations, easing to a deserved 30-27 win.

The atmosphere was becoming increasingly intimidating for the visitors when Adam Dathi disposed of Rupert Goodway, 30-29. To the chant of his name, the Merton man majestically used the jab to soften up his opponent before landing a fantastic four-strike combination to rock Goodway in the first round.

The Cambridge boxer soon realised that his defence was being repeatedly penetrated and chose to simply attack, which brought him some success but also allowed Dathi to land a fabulous right cross to the jaw. The final ninety seconds was an electrifying blur of strikes; Goodway landed a strong right hand whilst Dathi used his quickness to consistently damage his rival. An excellent left from Goodway in the closing stages was not enough to persuade the judge he had outperformed Oxford’s Light Welterweight as Dathi earned a deserved victory.

Borna Guevel’s triumph (see page 31) was followed by Gatis Mikelson, from the Light Middleweight division. With a 100% success rate thus far, Oxford knew a victory for Mikelson would see them crowned Varsity Champions; an expectant hush descended upon the theatre. This soon transformed into a roar of delight as the rugged and rug-chested Latvian fittingly summed up Oxford’s assertiveness with the only knockout of the night; a TKO after a strong kick to Ed Burgess’ ribs.

In a furious contest, Mikelson floored his opponent with a sharp kick to the shin in the first round and then made it two broken noses in two fights, demolishing Burgess’ nose with a smart jab. Despite a spirited comeback from the red corner, the St Hugh’s fighter ended it with a kick to the mid-riff; one which Burgess could not recover from, confirming Oxford as Varsity winners.

In the only female contest of the Varsity card, Oxford’s Cicely Marshall drew with her Cambridge counterpart; a result could be viewed as fortunate for the Cambridge Bantamweight. Marshall displayed superlative kicking technique throughout; the stark contrast between her majestic glide to manoeuvre herself space in the ring with the brutal kicks to her opponent’s face surely warranted a victory. Despite the judge deciding that both competitors were equal, Marshall’s entrance music – ‘Superstar’ by Lupe Fiasco – seemed somewhat prophetic as she gave an exciting and technically fantastic performance.

The foundations of Keble College were still convalescing from Borna Guevel’s victory when they trembled once more to the sound of Somerville’s James Richardson entering the theatre. The copper-haired Welsh warrior strode into the ring, confident of repeating his feat from the previous year, breaking adversary Leo Swartz’s nose. Richardson began intensely to the glee of his rabid followers; a strong kick was followed with frantic left and right jabs. However, Swartz had learnt from last year and battled back strongly.

The Oxford Welterweight displayed astuteness throughout the fight, not allowing Swartz to land many clean strikes whilst proving himself proficient in connecting pads on flesh. The referee Mr Ali warned both competitors about holding after the second round; somewhat harsh, given Swartz’s eventual tactic of turning his back on Richardson as he tried to land high front kicks and jabs. To the ecstasy of his support, Richardson had the class and nous to emerge with a tight 30-29 victory, and ensure two consecutive varsity triumphs in his first two years at Oxford.

With the party in full swing and the red corner yet to trouble the scorecard, Cambridge’s Chris Webb beat Middleweight Alex Baneke 30-27, but it was scant consolation for Cambridge as Oxford celebrated an emphatic 5-1 victory.

Wednesday cricket washout

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For a summer sport, cricket’s language and rhythms are largely dictated by rain.  Covers coming on, light drizzle, covers coming off and Rain Stopped Play are all parts of the cricketing discourse.  Never is this more true than during April, when the new season is born at a stutter, with days and matches broken up by rain.  Before the long, hot summer afternoons there are hours of play stolen in between sheltering under the pavillion or in the changing rooms.

Despite a perfect start to the season, when the whole set of fixtures were played under bright sunshine, college cricket was marred by weather in second week, much to the frustration of various colleges and players.  Most Cuppers games were played on Monday, except for the tie between St Johns and Lady Margaret Hall which had to be delayed until Tuesday.  After bowling out LMH for 170, St John’s run chase was stopped by rain.

Whilst there will be a replay, allegedly in the Twenty20 format, St John’s’ left arm spinner James Earle was left frustrated by the cancellation: “We don’t play in the college league and so Cuppers is our only chance to play competitive cricket.  Last season we were knocked out in the second round at Magdalen after a good win at Jesus.  This year we’re keen to do much better. We were bowling well under the drizzle before we came off and were delighted to skittle out LMH for an attainable target.” LMH captain Tom Wherry said it was annoying, particularly “as we were supposed to have two games this week, and considering we only have an eight week season.”

 

Wednesday’s weather was even worse than Tuesday’s; and the League matches suffered accordingly.  Early season pace-setters New College, so far living up to their favourites’ tag with consecutive league and cup wins over Balliol, were prevented from competing against Keble. 

 

New’s wicketkeeper-captain Alex Asher was frustrated at the possible impact on their title challenge:  “It was disappointing to have our match at Keble called off today,  particularly having won each of our first league and cuppers games  against Balliol. Unfortunately, there’s no chance to reschedule these league games, so each team has to share the 22 points. I doubt that any other games took place today, so with a bit of luck we won’t have lost any ground to other teams, and are looking forward to matches next week.”

In Division Two bitter rivals St. Catherine’s and Magdalen were prevented from playing, leaving captain Alex Canfor-Dumas hoping for an upturn in fortunes.  “We needed the chance to get some momentum after our disappointing loss in the opening game.  All we can do now is pray that the weather picks up before Friday, when we play Teddy Hall in Cuppers.  To go out of Cuppers on the toss of a coin or a game of darts would be absolutely gutting.”

LMH skipper Wherry acknowledges that, despite the irritation, it’s a central part of our cricket season, reflecting: “Then again it is Oxford and it is England so it is kind of expected!”

BBC Weather anticipates a continuation of light showers over the weekend and into the start of 3rd week.

New wins with hero Howell

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A Howell century and dramatic Balliol collapse amidst thunder and lightning handed New a tense 36-run victory in this cuppers clash, and possibly saw the start of a long-lasting rivalry.

Following New’s league victory, the stage was set for a grudge match. Even the weather played its part: brooding grey skies, justifying Balliol’s decision to bowl. Clark capitalised, seaming his third ball back onto the off-stump to dismiss New captain Asher for a duck. Douglas followed this with a maiden. New faced immediate worry: two overs, no runs, one wicket. Corby was batting haphazardly and calmed no nerves, scoring runs off Clark’s third over by slicing over the slips and then nearly lofting to a fielder. Howell by contrast was unflustered, steering Douglas for a single down to third man, though a damp outfield hindered boundaries. Corby overcame this with a square cut, but a peal of thunder presaged both his being bowled by Clark and the first rain break.

Upon the resumption Tomlin attempted a single and was run out by keeper Trudgian. A chink appeared in Howell’s armour when he misjudged a chip and was lucky to avoid a fielder. This though was false hope for Balliol: Howell and Gangakumaran then accumulated, fazed only by two beamers from McLeod that earned him a warning. Penfold’s darting medium-pacers were introduced; the latter batsman pulled him for 6. Gangakumaran played cleverly; in Penfold’s next over he turned a full ball over the infield for 4 then, faced with an identical delivery, opted to cut it square instead for a single, unsettling Balliol’s field. Meanwhile, Howell fell into a rhythm, hitting fours in consecutive overs. Another rain break halted this and Alla and Poole’s spin slowed New, until Howell blasted another 6. Only in Alla’s 6th over, shortly after Howell reached his 50, did Balliol regain the initiative, Gangakumaran caught for 46, the score balanced at 122-4 off 33 overs.

New then exploded: the final 7 overs yielded 85 runs, mostly Howell’s: having batted through and survived two drops he was now seeing the ball gloriously. Clark’s return was greeted with three sixes, including one pulled over mid-wicket and out of the ground. He ended the over on 94; with one more ball the odds would surely have been on him reaching his century with another maximum. As it was, he had to wait for Clark’s next over to bring up a well-orchestrated and spectacular ton, and see New to a formidable 207-4.

Balliol never really took control of their chase. Bilyard started fluently with a boundary but was promptly caught off Keyworth, while Head fenced clumsily before being bowled by Bishop: 17-2. Williams and Poole carried the score along with several boundaries. Their only worry was a run out: the umpire gave it but Asher sportingly confessed to having broken the stumps with his hands. New were in danger, conceding runs with Keyworth bowled out, until these fell: Balliol 94-4 off 26 overs. They gradually slipped further behind the required rate; with pressure mounting both teams began to make mistakes. Soutphommasane (32) and Trudgian (21), scoring slowly, spooned catches off the same Tomlin over, Alla was dropped by Dungate, New gave away several overthrows, and Asher couldn’t quite cling on to an edge from Alla, who was then snaffled at point.

With 3 overs and 3 wickets remaining Balliol needed 10 an over. Sutton though had other ideas: his pace in his 5th over increased noticeably. McLeod was bowled, Clark run out controversially, and Penfold misjudged a frantic swipe to be bowled: Balliol 171 all out. They finished well short, but a fluctuating game had ratcheted up the tension and the end, when it came, was dramatically sudden.

OmkarSearch™

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Even saints get things wrong sometimes.  Mr Omkar insists that he did not ("repeat, not") give the OxStu that Stoppard photo.

 

Krishna’s speedy response comes courtesy of Google News OmkarSearch™, as used by the great man himself:

NEWS ALERT

 

PS: Aldate now has an RSS feed

VIDEO: Protests mar Israel festival

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Protesters today descended on a Broad Street event organised by the Oxford Israeli Cultural Society (OICS).

 

The event, dubbed "Camels in Oxford", was put on as part of iFest, a two-week festival marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

 

A protester leads chanting on Broad Street

 

 

A group chanting "Free free Palestine, occupation is a crime" have been at the entrance to the festival all afternoon, while slogans including "Celebrating Ethnic Cleansing" have been chalked onto the street.

 

At lunchtime, the Network of Oxford Women for Justice and Peace held an hour-long silent vigil dressed in black cloaks.

 

First-year student James Norrie was among those protesting as part of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.

 

"This is a celebration of a racialised state, the consequence of which is the occupation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians," he said.

 

However, OICS committee member Jacob Turner was happy with how the event had gone.  He insisted that Israeli culture and politics could be kept seperate.

 

"I don’t think they [the protesters] have managed to politicise the event.  We got across the message that we wanted to.  People respond better to food being handed out than to shouting," he said.

 

"The weather has been kind, people are having a great time and seem to be interested."

 

Police said that the protests had been peaceful and that no arrests had been made. 

 

See also:
Comment: Celebrating ethnic cleansing?
Comment: OICS response

Union rule change poll opens

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Members of the Oxford Union are voting today on a proposed change to the debating society’s election regulations, despite a mistake in election publicity.

 

It emerged this weekend that printed publicity for the poll was erroneous, leaving out part of the proposed rule change.  A corrected version has been published on the Oxford Union website.

 

The poll closes at 9pm.

 

See also:

Omkar triggers Union poll