A university students’ union has banned blue shirts and chinos because of “dangerous” behaviour by some students wearing them on a night out.
The outfit, associated with sports club members, was banned by Cardiff University Students’ Union (CUSU) following an incident involving male students on 4 October.
CUSU said the incident happened when the students were queuing to get into a club night event at the union.
It did not specify exactly what happened but described the behaviour of those involved as “reckless, dangerous and incredibly irresponsible”.
Student media reported that a group of “rugby freshers” had started pushing each other within the queue, causing security staff to take action.
“Fortunately, security were able to intervene and safely disperse the crowd, however, the situation could have easily escalated into a major incident had they not acted promptly,” CUSU said in an email sent to the university’s Athletic Union and seen by the BBC.
Any students who do not follow the rules banning the outfit will be refused entry to the union’s Wednesday club night in a move it said was aimed at ensuring student safety.
The union said it has seen a “marked improvement” in behaviour since the ban was issued and called for anyone who knew the people involved in the incident to come forward with details.
“If any group knows who the males were that caused this incident, I advise the committee to approach Athletic Union staff and the matter can be dealt with,” the email said.
“Whilst we understand that this approach might not be favourable with all, until we are confident that those behaviours have been rooted out, we will continue with this restriction.”
Cardiff University told the BBC it was a matter for both the unions to comment on.
The ban does not apply to any buildings other than the students’ union, which is run independently from the university.
CUSU said in a statement: “It is our established practice to proactively respond to behaviour concerns so we can ensure that our events are safe, accessible and comfortable, and we thank the student body for their support in achieving this.
“The current clothing restrictions are temporary, not aimed at a specific group and in direct response to a specific recent incident.”
