A student who had a swastika and the phrase "I hate n****s" drawn on his chest during a drinking game has refused to apologise as the university launched an investigation.
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) began the probe after a shocking photograph emerged of a student with the racial slur and Nazi symbol written on his chest.
The photo shows a male student with his top pulled up to show the message, drawn in red lipstick.
The unnamed student has refused to apologise for the graffiti daubed on his chest, claiming the words were drawn by his girlfriend and insisting “I had no control over what was written," Wales Online reports.
He claimed the incident happened after the woman was asked to “write the most offensive thing possible” as part of a drinking game, they were playing and but added that he didn’t consent to the photo being taken.
The anonymous student added that the person who wrote the slur "is black" as he refused to apologise claiming "I was not responsible for them".
He told student news site The Tab: “It was part of a drinking game where I had to allow my girlfriend to write whatever she wanted on my chest. The person who wrote that is black and chose that message ironically.
"As anyone who was there that night will confirm, I had absolutely no control over what was written and did not consent to any images being taken. They are now being used to attack me as the person with these images is well aware, I had no power of the situation.
"Whilst I acknowledge that these images and their content are very harmful and disgusting, I will not apologise because, as I’ve stated, I was not responsible for them. I would also point out that the reason she wrote that is because the app we were using said to write the most offensive thing possible.”
Another student who shared and reported the photo to the University has also been suspended on grounds of harassment.
They said: “It’s very stressful and upsetting, especially as I would like to get my degree at the end of my three years of hard work.
"I don’t want to be expelled for standing up against discrimination.”
The University of Central Lancashire has launched an investigation into the matter, which they say they are treating 'very seriously'.
A spokesperson said: “At UCLan we do not condone any form of harassment, bullying or hate crime and our ethos is for everyone to treat each other with respect.
“We take matters such as this very seriously and have been carrying out an investigation into all aspects of this case and will work directly with those involved in this matter.
"There is complexity to this investigation, and it would not be appropriate to share the details of the case nor breach the confidentiality of the individuals involved as we deal with this matter appropriately.”
Lancashire Police have confirmed the incident has been reported and is currently being investigated.
