A student union group has been roundly condemned after mounting an extraordinary defence of Stalin's notorious gulags.

Over one million people died in the infamous worker camps in the Communist Soviet Union, while other critics of the regime were imprisoned there for years and forced to work to the edge of exhaustion.

But hard-left activists at Goldsmiths university tweeted a defence of the gulags - claiming they helped rehabilitate workers and were nicer than Western prisons.

They claimed that inmates were actually treated well and allowed to join theatre groups and write for prison newspapers.

Historians voiced their astonishment at the ludicrous defence, while relatives of those killed in gulags accused the student group of trying to rewrite history.

The student union suspended the organisation pending an investigation, while the university said the tweets were 'inappropriate'.

The group, tweeting under the name LGBTQ+Goldsmiths, said they wanted to 'clarify what a gulag is' and why sending people there 'is actually a compassionate, non-violent course of action'.

The student account mounted an extraordinary defence of Stalin's gulags - where more than 1 million people were killed

The account lectured its followers on the forced labour camps - which they insisted were a force for good

The student union group claimed the prisoners were not forced to work until they died in the gulag - flouting the testimonies of survivors which say the opposite

In an astonishing defence, they claimed the gulags helped rehabilitate prison rather than just ruthlessly punish them

They also claimed that those imprisoned and ordered to work in the camps were paid fair wages

And they said that inmates were able to join theatre groups and do a range of recreational activities

The thread accused most people of not wanting to learn about gulags - which became one of the darkest legacies of Stalin's tyrannical reign

They said: 'So, gulags. First myth to debunk – you work until you die in gulags.

'The Soviets did away with life sentences and the longest punishment was 10 years. Capital punishment was reserved for the most heinous, serious crimes.

'Why? The penal system was a rehabilitatary one and self-supporting, a far cry from the Western, capitalist notion of prison.

'The aim was to correct and change the ways of criminals. If it couldn't be done in 10 years, it couldn't be done at all.

'Much like wider Soviet society, everyone who was able to work did so at a wage proportionate to those who weren't incarcerated and, as they gained skills, were able to move up the ranks and work under less supervision.

'Educational work was also a prominent feature of the Soviet penal system.

'There were regular classes, book clubs, newspaper editorial teams, sports and theatre groups.'

The thread came as an apparent explanation for an earlier Tweet in which the group wrote about sending a special education needs teacher named Claire Graham 'to the gulag'.

Ms Graham had objected to LGBTQ Goldsmith’s threat to target feminist academics who they believe to be prejudiced against transgender people, for example those who believe biological males undergoing transition should not be able to use female-only spaces including toilets.

Some activists refer to such people as TERFS, a derogatory term that stands for Trans-exclusionary Radical Feminists.

Goldsmith LGBTQ originally Tweeted: 'The ideas of TERFS and anti-trans bigots literally *kill* and must be eradicated through re-education.'

After criticising the post, Ms Graham received a response from LGBTQ Goldsmiths saying 'we'll just arrange to have you sent to the gulag' followed by a smiling emoji.

The astonishing attempt to justify the remark was immediately met with a wave of criticism from experts who pointed out that the worker camps were a way to imprison and kill anyone who dared to speak out against Stalin's Russia.

A study of Soviet data found that 1,053,829 people died in the worker camps from 1934 until 1953.

Those who lived under Stalin's murderous regime have told how the secret police would swoop into homes unannounced and seize critics.

They would then be hauled to prisons and never heard from by their families again – destined to die in one of the many gulags across the sprawling country.

Relatives of those murdered in Stalin's purges tore into the thread and accused the students behind it of shamelessly lying.

Relatives of those murdered in the gulags shamed the students on Twitter - pointing out that their loved ones had perished in the institution they were defending

Another relative of someone murdered in the gulag told the students they need to be educated in the realities of Stalin's Russia

Anne Applebaum, a respected historian who has written about gulags, said the description on the controversial tweets was 'not even close' to being the truth (file pic)

Kora Persefona wrote on Twitter: 'My grandmother was sentenced to 15 years in GULAG for being a daughter of 'enemies of the people' and a christian, was freed after 10 due to pregnancy.

'I can't believe, what I've just read. They shamelessly lie about my culture and my history.'

And another Twitter user going under the handle Earlsfield Girl, wrote: 'You disgust me. My great grandfather was sent to Siberia to die in a gulag in the Soviet era.

'You either have 0 education in history (a very poor reflection on your institution) or you know you are lying and are therefore quite evil.

'Apologise or choose which you are.'

The Goldsmiths account later deleted the tweets after being met with the fierce backlash.

A spokesman for Goldsmiths, University of London said: 'Goldsmiths has a diverse and inclusive community with many people caring deeply about trans rights.

'In this exchange, the language used was clearly inappropriate and we support the decision of the Students' Union to suspend the student society with immediate effect.

Another pointed out that the gulags were in fact forced labour camps where many died

The student group is based at Goldsmiths university - whose student unions have garnered a reputation of pursuing wacky and controversial left-wing policies

'We will work with the Students' Union to ensure continued support and representation for LGBTQ+ students.'

Goldsmiths Student Union said: 'We condemn the abhorrent content of the tweets and they are in complete opposition to the views and values of the Students’ Union.

'The society have broken multiple union policies and procedures, including failing to adhere to our code of conduct, and we have issued multiple requests for the group to delete the tweets.

'As such, the society have been suspended and disaffiliated from the Students’ Union, pending investigation.'

The furore comes amid controversy that British universities have become too dominated by far-left academics and students, creating an intolerant environment for right-wing thinkers and undergraduates.

Craig Worman, 22, a Goldsmiths graduate now working in PR, told MailOnline he started a Liberal Society while a student at Goldsmiths - but he and his friends in it were branded 'Nazis' and heckled by other students intolerant of their views.

He said he could not hold his events on campus because he had to prove to the university authorities that they would not offend anyone.

He said: 'In the end we just stopped because it was not worth it - no one wants to be called a racist or a Nazi.'