York University has cancelled plans to mark International Men's Day today.

The event, that was opposed by over 200 students, staff and alumni, sought to raise awareness of men's health issues such as high suicide rates. The event, that was opposed by over 200 students, staff and alumni, sought to raise awareness of men's health issues such as high suicide rates.

The climbdown comes days after a 21-year-old male York student killed himself.

The dispute started after a member of the university's equality and diversity committee said men were under-represented in some areas of the university.

open letter Over 200 students, staff and alumni signed anto the university, angry that they didn't "seek a dialogue on such issues with women’s equality campaigns or initiatives," suggesting reputational damage would be a result of marking the event.

The letter continued: "We believe that men’s issues cannot be approached in the same way as unfairness and discrimination towards women, because women are structurally unequal to men," and demanded the university "provide a full account of the means by which a decision to promote men’s issues in this way was reached by the Equality and Diversity Committee."

York University later apologised, saying that "The intention was to draw attention to some of the issues men tell us they encounter and to follow this up by highlighting in particular the availability of mental health and welfare support, which we know men are sometimes reluctant to access."

Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 35 and men make up 78% of UK suicides.

Matthew Edwards, a final-year politics student, said: "By cancelling the day entirely, they have sent out the message that men’s rights are not important, which is astonishing.

"International Men’s Day is about raising issues like the high male suicide rate, male rape and male domestic abuse; it’s about issues in education

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and child-father relationships. These do not necessarily conflict with women’s rights."

If you're affected by issues discussed in this article, you can contact the Samaritans for free and confidential help on mental health issues.