“Chalk and cheese.

Not so long back, the University of Exeter topped the league table for intentional student satisfaction.

Currently, the postgraduate community is something like 50% international. At St Lukes, nearly all postgraduate students on degree courses are international. I am one of 5 (out of 70) white people on my course.

The chancellor of the university (the figurehead and symbol) is Floella Benjamin.”

“Totally hear Emma's son. I know few international students who have never had racism abuse agaist them both in the uni. Personally, I am more sad for those abusive people rather than angry because the university claims itself to be one of the 'top 10' in the UK, but its home students are culturally ignorant and uneducated.

However, Emma making a comment publicly, I believe, is too much. At the end of the day, it is not just Exeter where racism abuses are practiced in daily life. She should have considered more carefully what effect her comment would have before talking specifically about Exeter's whiteness.”

“To the student who originates from "vibrant, multicultural London ", if you dislike Exeter so much, why did you choose to study in Devon?”

“I am currently a third year Exeter student, and whilst I do agree that there is perhaps a lack of 'home students' who come from an ethnic minority background...what difference does it make? I can say with utmost confidence that the admissions policy does not discriminate against any race/religion, therefore we are surely lacking in the number of ethnic minority candidates who want to study here. At the end of the day, as said previously, this isn't a massively multicultural society such as London, this is Devon.”

“being one of the most middle class universities in the UK, there will most likely be a low proportion of non-white students, which is the case in many russell group universities. with such a low proportion it is easy to neglect the fact that there may be forms of inequality that go unnoticed to the majority. although there may not be out right racism, there could be subtle racism which comes from historical and social sources which our pasted down to us without us even noticing. i can understand that people getting angry. but they should understand that in her position there may well of been instances of racism, just because she my of not received any verbal assaults, thats not to say you can be a victim in other ways. i think rather than the weight of university students and the town attacking her, they should maybe listen. im not saying shes right or wrong. just saying that before anyone disagrees. we should listen to her stance, and see how we can make sure no other student leaves feeling this way.”

“Emma is a fine actress; but I doubt she¿s got much of an idea about what¿s really going on. Mass immigration is encouraged in the west for purely economic reasons; to lower wage costs and to help sustain large internal economies when fertility rates are ever falling. China, Korea, India, Japan, the ¿tiger¿ economies etc want a much bigger slice of the world¿s wealth; and the west needs to keep itself competitive or get very poor, quickly. This means there must be mass immigration. Sorry to be very blunt but it¿s for your own good and that of your children and grandchildren.

If you¿ve travelled much you¿ll find that it is only the west that has equated diversity with goodness and non-diversity with something unpleasant or even wicked. Why has this been done? Because it is necessary to ensure that the mass immigration is a relatively smooth process; propaganda can be a good thing when it helps oil the wheels of necessary change.

Personally I¿ve never worried about immigration. It¿s needed and it won¿t stop you having a good life; but definitely leave poor old Exeter alone, not all change happens at once!”

“It seems a bit hard on poor Exeter! I've worked all over the UK and many places are as - or more - white: Such as Cumbia, most of the North East and Wales (outside Cardiff & Swansea). Would Emma make the same criticisms about Scotland? Look up Scotland's ethinc diversity (or lack of it).

Many countries around the world are not at all "diverse" (i.e. not multicultural) and in many that are the different ethinc groups live in largely separate areas. Is this a problem?

I'm also not exactly sure why having an area with less whiteness is necessarily worse than one with more. Would Emma say an area was too black? Or too Japanese?

Also - is there more racism in an area that's more white (e.g. Exeter) rather than one that's more diverse (e.g. West Yorkshire or Burnley?).”

“Love how Emma is lecturing on the white middle-classes...From an actress who swans about doing Jane Austen adaptations, I don't think she has any right to comment on the wealth of Exeter students.

I am a white student here at Exeter, and my dad is a postman...
I have worked extremely hard to get where I am and don't appreciate her uninformed judgements, based on one person's experiences.

Exeter is not a racist city or university, anymore than anywhere else. It is a beautiful place which encourages its students to be cultured and diverse.

Suggest privileged Emma goes back to London and takes her prejudices with her!”

“It seems to me that this debate is becoming more than a little misguided. Yes, Exeter University has predominantly white middle class students, but must we really be reduced to the level of suggesting that the university is in some way carrying out a form of selective racism, preferring international students over homegrown. Yes, perhaps the higher fees earnt from international students is a factor in this but we all benefit from the university improving facilities and investing in the local community, this does not mean that they discriminate students from Britain. Furthermore, as a student of the university myself I have actually witnessed the year on year increase in the number of ethnic minority students of British origins attending the university. It is great, and none of my friends from these backgrounds have ever experienced any form of racism what so ever.”

“So what if there aren't too many people who aren't white? It's a matter of who wants to go there! It makes absolutely no difference at all if everyone is black, white or whatever. It just so happens that Exeter has a high proportion of WHITE British people here, like most people in the country.”