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A students' union officer who is employed to promote diversity at a London university has reportedly asked white people and men not to attend an anti-racism protest meeting.

Bahar Mustafa, the welfare and diversity officer at Goldsmiths Students' Union, told students that the union meeting was only open to "BME Women" - females of black and ethnic minorities.

Writing on Facebook ahead of the planned event yesterday, she explained that despite inviting scores of people from a variety of backgrounds to the rally, white people and men were not welcome.

She said: "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."

Students have hit out at Ms Mustafa's comments, describing them as "patronising" and "laughable".

A student union society president told The Tab: "For Bahar to have the nerve to write this is patronising beyond belief.

"She has made it very difficult for white males on campus who feel like they can’t say anything for fear of retribution. The irony that she (or they) think that they are diversifying the student community in the name of feminism and multiculturalism is laughable."

The Evening Standard has contacted Ms Mustafa for comment.

Goldsmiths would not comment on the incident but said it had "no involvement" in the "decision making or the programme of events" offered by its students' union.

The university said it had written to the union to "express concern" over Ms Mustafa's alleged comments.

A spokeswoman said: "The Students' Union is an independent body run by elected student officials and we have no involvement in their decision making or the programme of events that they offer. We have no involvement in the appointment of the student representatives.

"We are proud of our diverse community and do not tolerate any form of oppression, including racism, sexism or any other form of bigotry.

"We have written to the Students’ Union today to express our concern."

A spokeswoman for the National Union of Students declined to comment, saying that individual student unions were responsible for their own union officers.