National Union of Students Funding Suspended as Government Cuts Relations Over Anti-Semitism Statements | UK News
Anti-Semitism statements at the heart of the National Union of Students led the government to suspend all activities related to the agency.
NUS will be removed from all departmental groups of the Department of Education (DfE) and replaced with an alternate student representative.
Universities minister Michelle Donelan has also urged agencies like the Office of Students to take similar action.
NUS will now receive no government funding.
Last month, the union announced that it was opening its doors to a Independent investigation after a wave of complaints of Jewish students.
It follows DfE’s concerns about NUS’ “unacceptable response” to complaints about rapper Lowkey’s invitation to their 2022 conference.
It notes that the rapper has a history of making comments that are “considered by many to be hostile”.
NUS President Larissa Kennedy is said to have suggested that Jewish students separate themselves into a quiet area designed for students with neurological differences so they wouldn’t have to hear him, the DfE said. “completely unacceptable”.
‘Anti-Semitism must be removed from the field’
The DfE said any investigation by NUS must lead to “substantive action” and that the decision to withdraw from NUS will be withheld during the review until the organization “proves that it has addressed the this matter appropriately”.
“I am horrified at the thought of Jewish students feeling ostracized by an organization that is supposed to be a voice for their community and an advocate for equality for all students,” Ms. Donelan said.
“While this is a decision the Department has not taken lightly, we have been clear that anti-Semitism must be removed from the industry and are taking these allegations seriously.”
Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said he was “really concerned” about the number of alleged reports anti-Semitism affiliated with NUS.
Nadhim Zahawi says his department is leaving NUS until issues are resolved
“Jewish students need to be confident that this is the body that represents them, and we need to make sure that the student organizations we’re in are speaking fairly to all students, which is why Why did we leave NUS until the problems were resolved,” he said.
‘Has no place in our society’
“From NUS’ initial response to our concerns, I believe they are eager to take action and welcome further updates from them. Anti-Semitism has no place in our society. we and we will put it out, whenever it happens.”
In its press release, the DfE said it was also “deeply concerned” about social media posts by NUS president Shaima Dallali, including a tweet in support of Hamas, a banned terrorist organization .
The DfE notes that this is not the first time NUS has been embroiled in controversies over allegations of anti-Semitism, including an investigation in 2005.
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In response, NUS said it was “disappointed” that the government announced the move through a press release rather than seeking to engage with it directly.
After launching the investigation, NUS said it would appoint a QC, in consultation with the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), next week to conduct the investigation.
A spokesperson said: “We have tried to take our investigation seriously and properly and are working with UJS in every step of the way.
He added that they look forward to working “constructively” with the government on the matter.
In 2017, several student unions not affiliated with NUS following the election of Malia Bouattia – who described the University of Birmingham as “something of an outpost of Zionism” – as president of the it.
