{"id":5981,"date":"2025-09-17T18:52:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/?p=5981"},"modified":"2025-11-17T19:26:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T19:26:38","slug":"controversy-as-students-lead-protests-outside-asylum-seeker-accommodation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/news\/2025\/09\/17\/controversy-as-students-lead-protests-outside-asylum-seeker-accommodation\/","title":{"rendered":"Controversy as students lead protests outside asylum seeker accommodation"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Nour Elshenawy & Fred Byrne.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The former and current Presidents of Aberdeen University eSports Society made controversial speeches at anti-migrant demonstrations last month, including at an asylum hotel by Aberdeen beach.<\/p>\n

At least three anti-migrant rallies saw speeches by a duo of former eSports President and law graduate Lewis Carty and his younger brother Chris Carty, a business & politics student and current eSports President.<\/p>\n

On August 2nd, protesters accumulated outside housing for asylum seekers on Links Road after the event had spread online. The protest saw chants against immigrants, a counter-demonstration and police presence.<\/p>\n

\"Lewis
Lewis Carty and Chris Carty (Source: Sanaa Al-Azawi via LinkedIn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A man sporting a MAGA cap punched a masked counter-demonstrater, and Police Scotland later charged<\/a> two participants with assault and inciting racial hatred.<\/p>\n

During the protest, student Chris Carty and his older brother Lewis spoke through a megaphone at antifascist counter-demonstrators.<\/p>\n

In a published<\/a> video, Lewis told counter-demonstrators: \u201cI understand that not a single one of you have worked a day in your life, but do you understand money is not an unlimited resource – what, to house people who would kill us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man wearing MAGA cap punches counter-protestor, 2nd August, Links Road (DJ R Media)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lewis labelled asylum seekers as \u201cthe antithesis of our very culture\u201d who come to the UK \u201cto get a GP, a dentist, a Gucci bag, and to rape your child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Carty, the current eSports President, took to the megaphone to criticise the religion of Islam, telling counterprotestors \u201cAll of you [women] without hijabs, you\u2019d be f**king stoned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is the burden on my nation to be the only one that\u2019s multicultural?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and my brother live here,\u201d he shared, adding that \u201czero women and zero children\u201d are housed in the facility for asylum seekers.<\/p>\n

Chris repeatedly addressed a counter-protester wearing a head covering: \u201cHijabi, can we see you hold the transgender flag real quick?\u201d After the counter-protester wearing a head covering met his demands by waving the transgender pride flag, Lewis said \u201cplease uncover your face so we can show your parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anti-racist student activist Alex (not their real name) saw the action unfold, telling The Gaudie<\/i>\u00a0that anti-migrant hostility had been disorganised until the brothers began using megaphones:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a shouting contest until the students started leading. They shouted about demographic change and racial purity.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Alex, who lives near the accommodation, countering the protests was personal:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened right on my doorstep. I was so focused on organising opposition to it that I even lost my job after missing a shift. But it was worth it: this is about solidarity with my neighbours, students of colour, and the refugees in that hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

After about two hours of back and forth between anti-migrant protestors and their detractors, the megaphone used by the Carty brothers appeared to malfunction, and protesters dispersed.<\/p>\n

Bigger anti-migrant protests on August 9th at Peterhead and Aberdeen saw heavier policing and a larger counter-demonstration, with the same duo speaking to crowds at both rallies.<\/p>\n

Responding to questions about the incidents, both University of Aberdeen and its Students\u2019 Union affirmed their stance against hate speech, but avoided commenting on specifics.<\/p>\n

Antifascist activist Alex criticised what they see as institutional inaction: \u201cBAME students who live in the area might not feel safe when these protests are going on. The university needs to show leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gaudie<\/i>\u00a0contacted the Carty brothers for comment, and eSports President Chris Carty replied that he had \u201cnothing but positive\u201d reactions from fellow students, adding:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a representative of younger people, the next generation of our great civilisation, I feel it is important that we are represented in all matters relating to our future. Criminality, housing shortages, deficient public health services and a loss of community will all affect the future of our lives. It’s time young people or \u2018students\u2019, stop being bystanders in their own lives and stand up for what they believe in, trust their eyes and ears and not be lulled into complacency and contentment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lewis
Lewis Carty and Chris Carty in Peterhead on 9th August (Source: DJ R Media)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His older brother Lewis shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not long ago that AUSA\u2019s BAME forum urged students to avoid the beach at night because of men chasing and following girls home. This was when more migrants were housed in the beach hotel with increased activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have spoken to hundreds of students who share my opinions. Many are too scared to say so publicly because of the vocal minority who try to slander their opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis hopes to \u201cbring light to the issues around migrant hotels, and the detrimental impact they can have on communities they are placed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people say we should protest at government buildings instead. But had we only done that, this very article would not be written. Protesting outside the hotels themselves is far more attention grabbing. Their purpose is to raise awareness, not to intimidate. \u201d<\/p>\n

Alex, however, believes the Carty brothers\u2019 speeches amounted to hate speech and breached the University and Students\u2019 Union codes of conduct. \u201cThe university risks being brought into disrepute if it does nothing,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Lewis responded to criticism of anti-migrant sentiment:<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the humanitarian urge to help others; I feel it too. But kindness cannot extend to abuse of our systems by economic migrants, or to allowing people to commit crimes, behave aggressively, or refuse to integrate. I live 30 seconds walk from the migrant hotel by the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnecdotally, every single woman I know who visits the area avoids the migrant hotel due to them being incessantly harassed, and even followed, by groups of men from the hotel. It happened to both my ex and my current girlfriend – both Aberdeen University students – leaving them fearful of the area. This was not an issue prior to the migrant hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it is not vocally apparent in academic circles, a huge number of Brits oppose migrant hotels and mass immigration. Per YouGov polling<\/a>, 71% of Brits have a negative view of people crossing the English channel in small boats to seek asylum in the UK – the circumstances under which a huge portion of those housed in migrant hotels entered the country – and 79% have a negative view of migrants coming to the UK illegally looking for work. [The poll] shows a stronger opinion than mere asylum system reform. I think it is due to great frustration towards our immigration and asylum systems.”<\/p>\n

On one side, anti-racism activists argue that students at anti-migrant protests endanger marginalised groups and bring the university into disrepute. On the other side, the Carty brothers and their supporters say they are voicing legitimate concerns about safety and immigration.<\/p>\n

Councillors from Aberdeen City Council condemned \u201cfalse claims and hateful rhetoric that are threatening community cohesion\u201d and urged protesters \u201cto respect one another and to respect the rights of the people seeking asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Police Scotland prepare for more rallies over the next weeks, University of Aberdeen and its Students\u2019 Union face a difficult balancing act of defending freedom of expression while upholding their codes and combatting hate speech.<\/p>\n

Student President Christina Schmid shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cAUSA does not tolerate any breaches of our Code of Conduct, including behaviour that could constitute hate speech or harassment. Our priority is to ensure all students feel safe, respected, and supported. Any student who witnesses or experiences a potential breach should report it, so that it can be properly investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a University spokesperson said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe University seeks to foster a culture of dignity, respect and inclusivity for all while recognising that a diversity of views exists across our institution. We acknowledge the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom within legal and ethical boundaries. However, this freedom does not protect hate speech or other forms of harmful or abusive conduct. All reported incidents are treated with the utmost importance and investigated fully in line with our Code of Practice on Student Discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Lewis Carty, it is about speaking out despite backlash: \u201cThe more you research, the more difficult it becomes to accept the continued existence of migrant hotels.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for students like Alex, who reported the brothers to the University, the stakes are clear: \u201cWe need accountability, not silence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Nour Elshenawy & Fred Byrne. The former and current Presidents of Aberdeen University eSports Society made controversial speeches at anti-migrant demonstrations last month, including at an asylum hotel by Aberdeen beach. At least three anti-migrant rallies saw speeches by a duo of former eSports President and law graduate Lewis Carty and his younger brother […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":5986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","iawp_total_views":445,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[181],"class_list":{"0":"post-5981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Gaudie Staff","author_link":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/author\/gaudie-staff\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Chris-Carty-talking-on-megaphone-and-Lewis-Carty-behind-on-Links-Road-on-2nd-August-Source_-DJ-R-Media-via-YouTube-300x163.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["News<\/a>"],"unlinked":["News<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"2","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 12 months ago","modified":"Updated 10 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on 17 September 2025","modified":"Updated on 17 November 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on 17 September 2025 18:52","modified":"Updated on 17 November 2025 19:26"},"featured_img_caption":"Chris Carty with megaphone and Lewis Carty behind, 2nd August, Links Road (Source: DJ R Media)","series_order":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5981"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6555,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5981\/revisions\/6555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5981"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=5981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}