Three members of student union AKKU have been suspended with immediate effect following reports of various forms of transgressive behaviour. AKKU board members say they are deeply shocked by the news.

Three members of student union AKKU have been suspended with immediate effect by the union’s board. Their membership has been suspended pending a final decision regarding expulsion by the general members’ assembly. That is the content of an email from the board to union members, which Vox was allowed to read.

Unsafe atmosphere

The board writes that the suspended members were guilty of various forms of transgressive behaviour. According to the board, one of the members is accused of serious sexually transgressive behaviour. A second member allegedly concealed this situation for a long time. According to the board, this person also actively defended the accused’s behaviour by ignoring reports of an unsafe atmosphere in work groups, or not sharing these reports with the board.

The third suspended member is said to have similarly defended the accused’s behaviour. In addition, this member is said to have ‘engaged in prolonged and structural bullying’, ‘excluded other members’ and ‘repeatedly made racist and homophobic statements within AKKU circles’.

‘There is no place for this kind of behaviour within AKKU; that is the bottom line’

The current board members write to the union members that they are deeply shocked by what has transpired. ‘We cannot and will not tolerate such practices, and are taking every action to find out how to prevent their recurrence.’

Speaking to Vox, AKKU chair Nan Lont says he cannot comment on the details of the matter, as doing so would be harmful to the reporters. ‘There is no place for this kind of behaviour within AKKU; that is the bottom line,’ he says.

General members’ assembly

The board was only informed of the matter last Thursday, Lont says. ‘We immediately started talking to several of the people involved, which is when this information came to light.’

In the coming days, the AKKU board, in consultation with AKKU’s confidential advisor and a representative of the Advisory Board – which consists of former board members – plans to take further steps to help restore social safety within the association.

The matter will be raised at AKKU’s next general members’ assembly, where the defendants will be given the opportunity to state their case. During that meeting, a decision will also be taken regarding temporary or permanent expulsion.