If you are exposed to hate, threats or violence
This page contains information for students who have experienced or witnessed hate, threats or violence and want to know what to do. You can also find out about the available support. Lund University has a zero tolerance policy towards hate, threats and violence.
Shortcuts to page content:
- Dealing with threats or violence at a physical location
- Dealing with hate or threats through email or social media
- Notify a teacher or someone else in charge
- Support for students who have been targeted
Individuals can be subjected to hate, threats and violence in a variety of ways and places. For example, it may happen on university premises, through email or on social media. We have compiled some important pieces of advice on what to do if you find yourself in such a situation.
Dealing with threats or violence at a physical location
Follow the advice below to reduce the impact:
- Keep a safe distance.
- Try to take control of the situation by remaining calm and collected.
- Try to leave the location if the situation becomes violent.
- Try to make others aware of the situation if possible. Ask for help from others nearby.
Make sure you follow this advice:
- In an emergency, call 112. You will need to describe what is happening and whether medical care is required.
- Call the University’s emergency number, +46 46-222 07 00, to inform university security of the event.
- Stay at a safe distance. Try to leave the location in the event of violence.
- Never put yourself in danger.
The following two actions are very important:
- Contact the person in charge at your department immediately. If you do not know who this is, a member of the teaching staff can guide you. Tell them what has happened and whether help has been called.
- Document your observations. Immediately write down what you have seen and try to describe the person who made the threat or used violence.
For example, try to remember and document the number of people, gender, age, height, skin colour, hair colour, hair length, behaviour, dialect, colour of clothes, shoes, trousers/skirt, jacket, shirt, any other distinguishing features, the direction in which the person(s) went afterwards and any vehicles involved. It is a good idea also to write down any other observations, such as what was said or how the threat was expressed.
It is a good idea to document what has happened if you receive hate or threats by email or social media. You can do this by:
- Saving the message, taking a screenshot or documenting the threat/hate in some other appropriate way.
- Noting the date and time you received or saw the message.
- Notifying the person in charge at your department.
- Reporting the event to the University as an incident or accident.
Notify a teacher or someone else in charge
You can notify the University if you have been exposed to hate, threats or violence. You can do this by contacting a member of teaching staff, study advisor, head of department or another person in charge at the University. Find out what the local procedures are at your faculty/department.
If the nature of the situation requires it, you should also report the event as an incident or accident. Find out how to make a report on this page:
It can sometimes be difficult to know whether an event you have experienced is something the University needs to be informed about. If you consider the hate, threat or violence to be related to your role as a student, or if the event took place in relation to your studies, you must always notify the University. In this situation, the University has a responsibility to investigate the event and, if necessary, take action to prevent it from happening again.
Disciplinary measures may be required if a student subjects another student or employee at the University to hate, threats or violence. You can read more about disciplinary measures on the page below.
Cheating, disruption and harassment
There may be legal consequences if an employee subjects a student to hate, threats or violence.
Support for students who have been targeted
Individuals who have been the target of hatred, threats or violence may react in many different ways. They may feel unsafe and frightened, become angry or have difficulty remembering what happened. For many people it is important to be able to speak to someone they feel secure with.
Support is available if you have been targeted. For example, you can contact:
- Student Health Centre
- Centre for Young Adults, Unga vuxna – lund.se (choose 'Translate' at the top of the page)
- How healthcare works in Sweden, contact the nearest health centre – 1177.se
- Student Chaplaincy at Lund University – Lund Cathedral's website (in Swedish)
- Emergency psychiatric clinics – vard.skane.se (in Swedish)
The Student Chaplaincy can offer counselling to anyone at Lund University, regardless of their ideology or religious affiliation.
You should contact the nearest emergency psychiatric clinic if you are experiencing acute mental distress, such as thoughts of taking your own life or harming yourself or others.
Important telephone numbers
In the event of an emergency or immediate danger, always call SOS Alarm on 112.
You can also call the University’s emergency number: +46 46-222 07 00 (the number can also be found on the back of your LU card).
Suspected crimes must be reported
If you are the victim of a crime, you must always report it to the police so that it can be investigated by the judicial system. This applies regardless of whether the person who targeted you is a student, employee or someone from outside the University.
Call 114 14 or go to a police station to report a crime.