Warwick SU Officers stand in support with NUS President

Three members Warwick’s Students’ Union (SU) Sabbatical Team have signed an open letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) in disagreement with the report’s findings on antisemitism in the UK.

The report specifically condemns the National Union of Students (NUS) President, Malia Bouattia, for calling Birmingham University a “Zionist Outpost”, which they claim is “outright” racism.

In addition, the HASC claim that the NUS has failed to confront a growing culture of anti-Semitism on university campuses, after a cross-party investigation into the comments and actions of Ms Bouattia resulted in concerns that she was racist.

According to the Independent, Ms Bouattia denied the allegations, criticising media outlets for calling her “a racist, anti-Semite, and Islamic State sympathiser and more.”

More than 175 NUS officers, student leaders and academics have signed the open letter in disagreement with the report, including Luke Pilot, Chloe Wynne and Hope Worsdale – Warwick SU’s President, Welfare Officer, and Education Officer, respectively.

The letter notes that while the report acknowledges that anti-Semitic abuse and crime is often caused by far right movements, little detail is provided of these groups. Instead, they claim it focuses entirely on the Labour Party and NUS, thereby falling prey to partisan selectivity.

More than 175 NUS officers, student leaders and academics have signed the open letter in disagreement with the report, including Luke Pilot, Chloe Wynne and Hope Worsdale.

The letter states: “An attack on NUS is an attack on the student and union movements. This is completely unacceptable and we cannot allow these claims against us to go unchallenged. We demand a revised report that is impartial and contains factual evidence.

“Our movement will remain principled in its work defending human rights, freedom of expression, and the fight against anti-Semitism and racism in all its forms.”

However, another open letter has been written directly to Ms Bouattia in disagreement with her actions. This opposing letter calls on her to issue a formal apology to Jewish students and her entire membership, and has likewise been signed by a number of student politicians and Sabbatical Officers from around the country.

Writers of the letter claim that Ms Bouattia should resign if she does not provide a full apology or provide details of how she will personally address these issues going forward.

Ms Bouattia denied the allegations, criticising media outlets for calling her “a racist, anti-Semite, and Islamic State sympathiser and more.”

According to the Huffington Post, a spokesperson from the NUS said in response to the accusations: “NUS takes all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, extremely seriously. As such, we recognise the importance of the report and its deeply troubling findings regarding the sharp rise in anti-Semitism across society.”

Luke Pilot commented: ““he report undoubtedly highlights issues regarding anti-Semitism which should be a concern for all, since anti-Semitism has no place in our society or University community.

“However, an array of organisations and individuals – both from within the Jewish community and beyond – have questioned the focus of the report, particularly its failure to address the far-right activity currently surging across the UK and Europe. Further concerns have also been raised about the factual inaccuracy of information relating to NUS.

“Criticising the report and fighting anti-Semitism are in no way mutually exclusive – SUs have historically been at the forefront of fighting for social justice, and combatting racism and prejudice of all kinds must be a priority for us. We look forward to working alongside Jewish and non-Jewish members to fulfil the mandate in our ‘Warwick Against Anti-Semitism’ policy and stamp out racism in our community.”