Halo nightclub has come under fire for an advertisement which includes the slogan, ‘F**k me I’m a Fresher’.

The poster, distributed outside the University, promotes the club’s Freshers’ nights following its re-opening earlier this month.

A spokesperson for Halo denied the advertisement had sexual connotations, although students have told The Gryphon they find it ‘vile’ and ‘shocking’.

Speaking to this paper, Halo’s Business Development Manager Andy More described the advertisement as ‘a play on David Guetta’s dance music brand, F**k Me I’m Famous’.

He explained: ‘The campaign is meant to be interpreted as Golly Gosh…!! (Pause) I’m A Fresher. I suppose if you twist anything enough you can find a way of making it a negative thing’.

Mr More added: ‘If we thought it was controversial, we wouldn’t have run the poster at all’.

The Gryphon understands the ‘F**k me I’m a Fresher’ campaign has been promoted for three consecutive years across various cities.

One student tweeted: “It’s crass, predictable and poorly designed, but the slogan encourages sexual promiscuity and not rape – unlike Fresher’s Violation’.

Another student said the campaign compared Freshers to ‘sex objects’.

The nightclub also distributes door hangers reading, ‘Do not disturb, I’m getting Halo’d’.

Halo was due to start hosting the controversial Tequila event when Mezz Club’s licence was revoked following the release of a video promoting the ‘violation’ of Freshers last year. However, Mr More said the new campaign was ‘certainly nothing to do with sex’.

A second-year Spanish student told this paper: ‘They have just guaranteed that I will never set foot in that club’.

Mr More concluded: ‘The wellbeing of students and especially freshers is paramount and to suggest that this poster promotes anything sexual is a disappointing manipulation’.

Charlotte Mason