University of Queensland student newspaper Semper Floreat forced to apologise over shoplifting guide

A controversial edition of UQ’s student newspaper has been withdrawn from public circulation and an apology issued after it published a guide to shoplifting.

University of Queensland’s student newspaper has narrowly avoided being cancelled, but will have to remove its latest controversial edition from public circulation and issue an apology over a “how-to” shoplifting guide.

A UQ student who wished to remain anonymous told The Courier-Mail a Union Council resolution to scrap the newspaper Semper Floreat, which has existed since 1932, was defeated in a vote of 10-9.

Instead, the latest edition will be “withdrawn from public circulation immediately” and an apology must be issued.

On Monday night, a post on the newspaper’s Facebook read “lol soz”.

Semper Floreat UQ student magazine

Semper Floreat has been the student newspaper at the University of Queensland since 1932, but students told The Courier-Mail the publication had taken on a distinctive “activist” tone over the past nine months, with some labelling the latest edition “pathetic”.

The shoplifting article, which has an anonymous author, outrageously encourages participants to wear a face mask and cover identifiables, such as tattoos, piercings or hair.

It recommends establishing a “safety radius” and not to “frit close to home”, while suggesting certain “characters” to play while engaging in the illegal act, such as the flirt, the nerd or the stressed mum.

It states that “frifting (free shopping) is legitimate action for the working class to take in ongoing class war”.

Billie Kugelman editor of UQ student magazine Semper Floreat, from Facebook

Mr Kugelman, who also studies law and arts at UQ, previously told The Courier-Mail that the newspaper “ordinarily” had editorial independence over 90 per cent of content but “last week we broke the constitution by publishing without approval”.

A statement published online by Mr Kugelman at the weekend said the student newspaper would not be “lectured to” on “responsible reporting”.

“We will not be lectured by this mob of jackals on responsible reporting, now or ever.”

Mr Kugelman used the rising cost of living to defend the “how-to” shoplifting guide.

“We stand by our decision to publish the hypothetical safe shoplifting guide, entitled ‘The Subtle Art of Shoplifting’ as helping hard-done-by students in a world where cost of living is on the rise.”

The University of Queensland Union has declined to comment.