Emma: BNP would love racist Exeter

By [dwells]

ACTRESS Emma Thompson stunned students at Exeter University by telling them: "Nick Griffin would feel very comfortable here".

The Oscar-winning actress made her comments in a speech to students after claiming her Rwanda-born son Tindyebwa Agaba suffered racist abuse during his studies in the city.

Ms Thompson, 50, said the BNP leader would "love" Exeter University because there was so much "depressing" racism there.

Tindy, 22, read a politics degree at the university, but his mother said he suffered a "rough" time with "unpleasant experiences" because he was black.

She visited the university with Tindy and actor and writer Kwame Kwei-Armah to talk about racism in society.

Ms Thompson urged staff and students to be more tolerant and told them "It's up to you" to accept ethnic minorities more.

She also promised to return to offer further help and anti-discriminatory advice.

One member of the audience raised the issue of the BNP and comments by Nick Griffin that London was no longer a British city.

Ms Thompson, who starred in Nanny McPhee and Love Actually, replied: "He'd love Exeter, he would feel very comfortable here."

The woman asked: "What can we do to change the whiteness of Devon and Cornwall, how can we expand our university?"

Ms Thompson said: "This is how we're doing it (by talking about it). It's depressing when people think nothing is being done about it. Tindy had his experience and now we're having a big week of educational events to try and help it.

"You're not going to get hundreds and hundreds of black students here overnight, but what you can do is make them more comfortable."

The actress was hosting a lecture at the university's Streatham Campus, entitled All Africans Now: Artistry and Activism, aimed at promoting racial equality.

Tindy opened the event, wearing an Arsenal shirt and jeans, saying he had suffered racist problems in his first year.

He added: "I studied politics and international relations here and had a beautiful time, especially in my second and third years, but I had some problems in my first year.

"But in all, I had a wonderful time here with beautiful people."

Ms Thompson and actor husband Greg Wise adopted the former child soldier in 2003 after he fled genocide in Rwanda. Tindy's mother and sister were abducted and raped by soldiers and his father died of Aids two years later.

University spokesman Stuart Franklin said: "Racism is a sad reality of British life.

"We would be naive to think racism did not affect some of the 18,000 people who work and study on campus.

"The university has a zero tolerance approach to racism and has a number of strategies in place to promote this and to support any staff and students who experience racism.

"We take regular soundings from staff and students and there is no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem in Exeter."