30 June 2024 , 13:31
997
0
A Tory student association has apologised after sickening footage showed revellers dancing to a Nazi anthem at one of its events.
The recording was taken at a black-tie dinner hosted by the Warwick University Conservative Association's (UWCA). Attendees were filmed dancing to Erika, a song which has been adopted by white supremacists.
The song was composed in 1938 by Herms Neil, senior trooper in the Nazi paramilitary wing, the Sturmabteilung (SA). According to The Times, people present chanted 'Kill the Hughs' - replacing the word 'Jews' to reference a former chairman. They are also claimed to have said "Heil the chairman".
A voice was heard shouting "don't film" after noticing it was being recorded. The association, which removed its website and Twitter /X page, says it will bar the person who requested the song from future events. It said it "wholeheartedly condemns" the behaviour and apologised "for any offence that has been caused".
In a statement to The Mail Online, the association said: "The song Erika was playing for a brief period. Once we became aware of the song being played and what it represents, an exec member spoke to the DJ, and it was immediately turned off.
Inside WW1 military hospital abandoned for decades before new lease of life
"We have subsequently found that the song was requested by a lone member directly to the DJ. We stress that it was not included in the preplanned music selection handed to the DJ."
It said that the person who requested the song would be excluded from future events, as would anyone who "knowingly engaged with the song". And the association said the person seen "actively" singing the lyrics was not a member.
It went on to say that the "overwhelming majority" of those in the video were "completely unaware" of the orginis and connotations of the song. The group's honorary president in former cabinet member Dame Andrea Leadsom.
A statement from the university said: "We have been made aware of this video and the allegations surrounding it, which are extremely troubling. Behaviour like this is reprehensible and we are disappointed to see our students involved.
'The University is reviewing the material disclosed to us via our reporting service and has notified the Student's Union. We have requested a meeting with the Jewish Society (Jsoc) to assist with our review."
Warwick's Union of Jewish students branded it "blatant and unchallenged support for Nazism", and said the behaviour was "utterly abhorrent". A Conservative Party spokesman said: “This group is not affiliated to the Conservative Party.
“There is no place for racism in the Conservative Party and we will always ensure appropriate action is taken against any member who acts in ways that are not in accordance with our values of tolerance and respect.”