NUS Scotland has welcomed the resignation of Glasgow Conservative MSP Bill Aitken as convenor of the Justice Committee.
The student body had mobilised hundreds of protestors from across Scotland to attend a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament during tomorrow’s Justice Committee Meeting in response to comments by Aitken regarding inner city rape cases.
Tomorrow’s protest has now been cancelled.
Commenting on the resignation, NUS Scotland’s Women’s Officer Kelley Temple said:
“Since Bill Aitken’s disgraceful comments regarding inner city rape cases, women students across Scotland have been calling for his resignation as Justice Committee convenor. There is no place for such misguided and dangerous views on the body that decides Scotland’s laws.
“Implying that rape is somehow “more complex” because the victim is a prostitute shows a fundamental misunderstanding that sexual abuse is never the fault of the victim. All cases of rape are vile and no scenario outside of full consent can be used as an excuse. What a dangerous signal to send to women who may be terrified to come forward and report similar cases.
“Now that Bill Aitken has resigned from his position as convenor of the Justice Committee, the Scottish Conservative Party urgently needs to restate its commitment to the safety and respect of women in Scotland.”
Mr Aitken was interviewed by The Herald about the alleged rape of a woman in Glasgow city centre, the fourth such case this year, during which he is said to have questioned whether the woman might have been a prostitute.
A Facebook campaign evolved calling for his resignation as convenor.
