More recently, in a magazine interview Cllr. Lines has repeated his sentiments and was reported by the magazine as saying "We do not afford them (Ghurkhas) citizenship. We pay them a pension to go back to Nepal… Yet some scallywag, some scumbag can jump on the back of a lorry, come over under the tunnel and never expect to work a day in his (expletive) life. And if he’s been here for a time waiting for a decision, we give him automatic British citizenship. The world’s gone (expletive) mad."

The Guild of Students feels that for the Cabinet Member for Housing of Birmingham City Council to be using such derogatory language and making such a sweeping generalisation of a group of people serves to incite racial tension and xenophobia in what is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. For someone with these bigoted views to then be appointed Lord Mayor sends a very dangerous message to the people of Birmingham and the diverse range of students on this campus.

Cllr. Lines’ comments fail to take into account the extreme living conditions that asylum seekers endure, receiving only £7 a day to live on a smartcard which can only be spent at certain supermarkets to buy food and remaining unemployed not out of choice but as a result of the restrictions placed on them by the Home Office.

Scapegoating comments and views like John Lines' are not appropriate to be at the helm of a multicultural city like Birmingham and the Guild of Students is concerned about the message this sends considering that students have already been hit hard by attitudes such as this. Since February 2011 changes in the law have meant that people in the process of seeking asylum because it is unsafe to return home will have to pay international tuition fees with no access to loans. This effectively establishes a barrier to higher education to young asylum seekers, pricing them out and inhibiting their social mobility. For the few who are fortunate enough to attend university there are strict controls on attendance with a risk of deportation if classes are missed. Beyond this, changes to visa restrictions are increasingly preventing non-EU students who make up a significant part of our student body from beginning their careers in the UK after their degrees, denying opportunities for many and tearing students away from the communities they have become a part of during their studies.

On top of his more recent xenophobic comments, Cllr. Lines has a history of offending other minority groups in the city and on our campus. In 1999 he claimed the granting of public money for a gay and lesbian festival would damage rather than enhance the image of Birmingham, remarking "I know we are keen to enhance the city's international image, but I think this is one event we can do without, I wouldn't like Birmingham to get a reputation as the gay capital of Britain." The Guild of Students takes pride in the diversity of the University of Birmingham campus and expresses deep concern at the proposal that a man with such backward views surrounding homosexuality is being appointed as Lord Mayor of our city.

There is an increasing worrying xenophobic trend in our society against migrants and it is the Guild’s belief that the Lord Mayor of Birmingham should seek to stand against this and stand up for the migrants on our campus. Furthermore, Birmingham has strong and proud LGBT community, who John Lines has already alienated and undermined. The Guild of Students is part of a multicultural university and city; we do not feel comfortable with Councillor John Lines taking up position as Lord Mayor on the 22nd of May and, on behalf of the students and causes we represent, call on councillors to reverse this decision.