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A London university students’ union today “wholeheartedly” refuted claims of racism and sexism after white people and men were banned from an event to promote equality.

Goldsmiths, University of London, faced a backlash after students were invited to an event to discuss “diversifying the curriculum” but told that white people and men should not come.

The students’ union event was organised by Bahar Mustafa, the welfare and diversity officer.

She wrote on Facebook: “Invite loads of BME Women and non-binary people!! Also, if you’ve been invited and you’re a man and/or white PLEASE DON’T COME just cos I invited a bunch of people and hope you will be responsible enough to respect this is a BME Women and non-binary event only.”

Non-binary is a term to describe somebody who does not consider themselves exclusively male or female.

The event’s online page said it was open to “self-defining BLACK and ETHNIC MINORITY women and non-binary people with gender identities that include ‘woman’.”

The event, held on Wednesday, sparked a fierce backlash on social media and the statement “Allies now welcome!” was added to the meeting’s Facebook page.

A spokeswoman for the university said it has written to the students’ union to “express our concern.”

She added: “We are proud of our diverse community and do not tolerate any form of oppression, including racism, sexism or any other form of bigotry.”

The students’ union said it is reviewing the way it communicates with people about events to “avoid any future misunderstandings.”

It added: “Challenging societal inequality has been at the core of our campaigns and we try to do this pro-actively in our everyday work, so the accusation that we discriminate is one we refute wholeheartedly.”

In a statement it said: “Goldsmiths Students’ Union places huge importance on equality and diversity. It is in this vein that we host spaces where specific minority groups who experience similar discrimination can talk together confidently about overcoming the structural disadvantages and prejudice they face in society.

“These types of initiatives are the norm across the student movement and within Students’ Unions in the UK. The National Union of Students has full-time officers and campaigns for students who identify as women, BME, LGBT and disabled as they too see the need for these spaces.

“As well as the meeting we held this week of the BME forum, there will also be public meetings held alongside where everyone is welcome and that are attended by a wide range of students.”