The head of the National Union of Students has called for the conference hall to act respectfully after reports around 20 or 30 delegates cheered at the news of Margaret Thatcher's death.
According to reports, a female delegate told the Sheffield hall: “This is a day I’ll never forget. For those of you who’ve seen the news, you’ll know what I mean,” to cheers from the crowd.
NUS President Liam Burns was forced to admonish the hall, asking the NUS conference "to think very carefully indeed about how you respond to this news as conference continues."
In comments posted on the NUS website, he told the hall: "Now, let me be clear, I’m the last person to agree with Margaret Thatcher’s politics or her policy record as prime minister. But we must not forget that an elderly woman has just died.
He added: "She had family, friends, colleagues and supporters who will want to pay their respects at this time. It's not just that this would reflect extremely badly upon us if we were to show disrespect at this time. We are better than that. We believe there is such thing as humanity. There is such a thing as sensitivity. And there is such a thing as respect."
Although the Tab reports that the cheering did not come from NUS leadership but from delegates, some students have seized upon the reaction in the hall to condemn the association.
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