The National Union of Students is an incredibly important thing in the life of students, simply because anything it does will affect each and every one of them. Currently, there are problems within the NUS leadership that we think you should be made aware of.
On the 14th October 2016, the Home Affairs Select Committee released a report titled ‘Anti-Semitism in the UK’. In section five of the report, ‘Campus Anti-Semitism’ is discussed, and focuses within parts 80-88 around the National Union of Students and more specifically the NUS President, Malia Bouattia.
The report highlights how Ms Bouattia has continually shown signs of anti-Semitic behaviour, before, after and throughout her election campaign for president of the NUS. Some examples of her behaviour that the report states are:
- Her description of the University of Birmingham as “something of a Zionist outpost”.
- Her “defensiveness and apparent unwillingness” to listen to the concerns raised by Jewish students about her past statements.
- Due to an amendment passed by the NUS’s National Executive Council (NEC) and Ms Bouattia, the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) will no longer be consulted on the selection of the Jewish representative on NUS’s Anti-Racism, Anti-Fascist Task Force, which gives Jewish students less representation within the National Union of Students.
Ms Bouattia has addressed the claims in a statement released by the NUS, where she states:
“The report's data on increasing anti-Semitism and targeting of the Jewish community is deeply concerning.”
“I welcome the report's highlighting of the issue and its call for action across society, including in such areas as online platforms. This is also a priority for NUS. “
“I will continue to listen to the concerns of Jewish students and the Jewish Community. As I wrote upon my election as President, and in the submission to this Inquiry, if the language I have used in the past has been interpreted any other way then let me make this clear – it was never my intention and I have revised my language accordingly”
In response to this, your Officer team in the form of Jaime-Lee Cunningham, Darren Clarke, Ben Malbon and Swetha Reddy have signed an open letter calling for Malia Bouattia to provide an immediate and full apology and also details on how she will personally address these issues going forward, as well as calling for her to resign if she does not address the damage she has done to the student movement.
The NUS strives to be safe, diverse and fully representative of all students regardless of their background. The officer team do not believe that Ms. Bouattia represents these qualities.
Staffordshire University Students’ Union President Jaime-Lee Cunningham said: “As a team we oppose Malia’s stance and that seems to be the message on a national level.”
“However, as she was voted in democratically, the only way we can change things is democratically too.”
“It will be a long process.”