British university bans sombreros as 'racist' costume

The University of Birmingham guild of students has banned a number of fancy dress costumes as part of a crack down on what it claims is “discriminatory behaviour”.

The decision has left students threatening to boycott the guild after many were turned away for dressing as Mexicans or fictional characters or told to change their costumes.

There was also anger after a promotional video of Dave Charles, vice president for housing and community on the guild, emerged of him wearing a sombrero – believed to be filmed before the ban was announced.

Carl Raynsford, 21, a basketball player at the university said he and his team mates were told they would not be allowed to go to a Halloween event dressed as Mexicans.

"We were dressed as Mexicans which involved only a sombrero and a poncho and potentially a drawn on tache,” he told the Tab student newspaper

"I'm not sure why it's deemed racist nor why the 'anti-fascism officer' needs any involvement.  "Would I be offended if someone came as an Englishman?"

Other students have also been turned away from events.

Jonathan Blausten, 21, was not allowed into a nightclub when he dressed as fictional character Admiral General Aladeen from the film The Dictator.

He said: "I'm still waiting to hear who I was offending, going as a character from a fictional country in a movie which parodies almost every country on earth with no particular bias.

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