UCU strikers asked to remove 'intimidating' bunting

By Isaac Haigh, Investigations Correspondent

On the third day of the UCU strikes, Wednesday 27th November, strikers were told to remove intimidating 'bunting' by University security services.

According to a lecturer in the History department a member of the security team spoke to picketers outside the Modern Languages building due to reports that people had felt 'intimidated'.

Will Pooley said that he'd been on Woodland Road all week and 'the atmosphere has been generally friendly and we have seen very few people actually going into the Arts Complex building from the front entrances, so this strikes me as pretty unlikely. Is bunting really that intimidating?'

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A joke twitter account has now been set up in the name 'Intimidating Bunting is here to scare you'.

A spokesperson for the University of Bristol said: 'Security staff did not describe the bunting itself as intimidating. However, it was blocking the entrance to 15 Woodland Road, contravening the government’s Code of Practice on Picketing so striking staff were politely asked to move it.  We respect the right of our staff to take action, with or without colourful bunting or witty placards.'

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Featured image: courtesy of Will Pooley

Have you felt intimidated walking up Woodland Road? Let us know!