University 'banter' account criticised for sex assault social media posts and misogyny

Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault that readers may find distressing.

A university has been criticised after anonymous accounts of sexual assault and misogynistic posts were made on social media by a student-run "banter" account it followed.

Cardiff University has since unfollowed the Cardiff Uni Banter Instagram account after students raised concerns about the material being posted.

One post included an anonymous confession describing a man continuing to have sex with a woman while she was having a seizure.

Cardiff University said sexual violence and harassment and all forms of gender-based violence would "not be tolerated", adding that fact that it had followed the account was not "in any way an endorsement". Cardiff Uni Banter was asked to comment.

It is not known if the claim made in the post is true, but some of the page's content has received hundreds of likes and has been widely reshared.

Jennifer Taylor, National Union of Students Cymru president, said the comments were "dangerous, harmful and are reinforcing a toxic culture on our campuses that must be tackled head on".

The Instagram account describes itself as a place for "the best confessions, memes and banter in Cardiff" and has more than 14,000 followers. It publishes anonymous submissions from students covering university life, relationships, sex, and nightlife.

Megan Elmer contacted the BBC after becoming concerned about the content, saying she believes it "contributes to the perpetuation of rape culture by normalising misogynistic attitudes and discussions of sexual violence".

Megan said she did not know whether the anonymous allegations published by the account were true, but believed the posts raised questions about the culture surrounding sexual violence within the university community.

She said she was particularly concerned that Cardiff University's official Instagram account had been following Cardiff Uni Banter.

"I would therefore be interested in whether the university is aware of the account and its content, whether it has received any reports or concerns relating to the account, and why its official Instagram account follows the page," she said.

"Imagine being a woman who has been raped or sexually assaulted at university, maybe even one of those girls whose sexual violence has made the account.

"How would you feel if your own university followed that account."

Some students are calling for a boycott of the social media page, with other posts seen by BBC Wales describing women as "sluzzers", and "tarts".

Rebecca Rumsey, 23, a Cardiff University student and co-founder of the sexual misconduct campaign group Time To Act, said students had repeatedly sent the group screenshots of the posts.

"We got sent the posts hundreds of times by students," she said. "We tried to reach out to the page — they still haven't responded."

Time To Act called for students to unfollow the account, stop submitting confessions and report content they believed promoted sexual violence or misogyny.

Rebecca said the backlash had resulted in the account losing about 2,000 followers.

"There's a lot of misogynistic and rape culture posts on that page, and it's not good enough," she said. "It's not banter."

Cardiff University said it was aware of the account and the "concerning nature of the posts" but emphasised the account was "not affiliated or associated with Cardiff University, nor are we aware who is responsible for it".

A university spokesperson said: "This is not just banter. As a university we're committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment where everyone has the right to feel safe and treated with dignity and respect."

It added that it had received complaints about the account, had reported posts and the account itself, and would continue to do so.

"We followed the account so we could actively monitor and report such posts. We unfollowed the account in response to the concerns expressed by our Students' Union and from staff, students and members of the public."

Cardiff Uni Banter has been approached for comment.

If you have been affected by the issues raised, help is available via BBC Action Line.