THE coronavirus outbreak has left students and staff at the University of York experiencing abuse and racism - both online and in person.

Senior university representatives have issued a joint statement saying it has received reports of such behaviour and condemning it 'in the strongest possible terms.'

They say it won't be tolerated and have urged anyone experiencing abuse to report it to the university or police, or to service providers such as Facebook or Twitter if there have been inappropriate or misleading posts.

The problems have arisen in the wake of revelations that a student from the university was one of the two people staying at StayCity aparthotel last week - believed to be Chinese -who became the first people in the UK to be diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The statement, issued by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charlie Jeffery, Students' Union President Samara Jones, and Graduate Students' Association President Dr Pürnur Altay, says the university is a 'global community,' with one in every four people on campus - both staff and students - coming from outside the UK.

"We value, celebrate and are proud of our inclusive and diverse community," it says.

"Unfortunately, we have had some reports from students and staff of abuse and racism linked to the current coronavirus situation.

"These instances have occurred both in person and online and we want to condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms.

"Any act of abuse or inflammatory hate speech, whether it occurs on campus, online or elsewhere will not be tolerated.

"We would like to remind all staff and students that the University is a community of respect. All members of our community are expected to act in accordance with our shared values of respect, fairness and compassion, and to ensure that all aspects of our individual and collective behaviour adhere to, and reflect, these principles.

"We encourage anyone experiencing or witnessing abuse or inappropriate behaviour to report it to the university. If you feel you need support, please contact the Student Hub.

"You can also report incidents to the local police. If you see inappropriate or misleading posts on social media, please report them directly to the service provider (eg Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

"We must ensure that we continue to be a community where every member accepts their obligations and responsibilities to each other in order to live, learn, work and research in a peaceful and supportive environment."

The statement adds that the university's regulation number 7 outlined the university's expectations and listed disciplinary offences, and says the university will not tolerate behaviour that in any way compromises those expectations.

Regulation 7 says includes a clause about 'hate speech, ie abuse or threats intended to harass, alarm or distress a person because of hatred of a person’s race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.'