SU responds to abuse directed at NUS Black Students’ Officer

Warwick Students’ Union (SU) issued a statement last month condemning the recent abuse directed towards Malia Bouattia, the Black Students’ officer for the NUS.

At an NUS meeting in September, Bouattia spoke out against a motion that called for the condemnation of the militant group ISIS on the grounds that it advocated Western intervention and Islamophobic sentiments.

The motion, which called for students to express solidarity with the Kurds struggling against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, was put to the NUS National Executive Council as an act of condemnation of the rebel group

However, a group of students, headed by Bouattia, opposed the motion.

Bouattia reportedly stated: “Condemnation of ISIS appears to have become a justification for war and blatant Islamophobia.

She added: “This rhetoric exacerbates the issue at hand and is in essence a further attack” on those they aim to defend.

This statement of opposition resulted in Bouattia becoming the target of a virulent campaign of hate and Islamophobic, racist and sexist abuse from various groups. She was also allegedly on the receiving end of death and rape threats via social media.

In the wake of this, Warwick SU released a statement on their website in October strongly condemning the abuse that Bouattia received. The SU sabbatical officers commented: “All student officers occupy a position which opens us up to criticism – criticism that is healthy and necessary for politics to function.

“This is, however, different to the abuse that Malia Bouattia has been subjected to, which has taken the form of threats of death, rape and violence. While political disagreements happen all the time, for them to culminate in an onslaught of abuse and harassment is completely unacceptable.”

Bouattia, who is a student at the University of Birmingham, has previously been awarded the Media Diversified’s #EightWomen award, and has started several organisations including Black Women’s Forum UK, the West Midlands Pan African Students’ Union and the West Midlands Palestine societies Forum.

The SU commented further on the duties of students when engaging in student politics, they urged: “We have a responsibility to speak and behave with care, for the consequences of our words and actions often go beyond ourselves. We have a duty to our fellow officers and colleagues to conduct our activities in a way that does not harm someone’s welfare, and does not result in an individual living in fear.”

With regards to the specifically Islamophobic abuse that Bouattia has received, the SU also highlighted the irresponsibility of those who suggested that she was aligned with ISIS, saying that it was insulting to her dedication to student politics.

The statement highlighted: “The misrepresentation of her politics is an unfortunate reflection of the vulnerability of Muslim officers across the country.”

The sabbatical officers affirmed their support for the issue, by adding: “While no student leader should ever have to be subjected to this level of harassment, the nature of these threats against an elected woman representative is particularly troubling, and we condemn this behaviour wholeheartedly.”