Warwick University students vote for Students’ Union to disaffiliate from NUS “over failures of alleged bigotry”
Students at the University of Warwick have voted to disaffiliate the Students’ Union from the National Union of Students (NUS) “over failures of alleged bigotry”.
In an “all students vote”, 487 voted to disaffiliate from the campaigning body of NUS – albeit not from NUS’s charitable arm, which works with students’ unions – while 416 voted against and 253 abstained.
The motion asserted: “The NUS has failed to protect minorities from abuse through divisive rhetoric and lack of zero tolerance and condemnation for hate speech. Warwick SU, and any national student union it belongs to, must have zero tolerance against bigotry towards any individual, minority group and other protected characteristics, and require the same of elected individuals and guests…Warwick SU, and any national student union it belongs to, should prioritise the day-to-day issues students face, such as requesting financial support following increasing living costs…There are various alternative organisations which deal with national issues that have little direct relevance to students, including foreign affairs, which are more suitable for other causes and to which students are free to sign up to.”
The motion added: “The NUS’ constant failure over allegations of bigotry and their detachment from key student concerns, as shown by successive low turnout, has left the union without credibility to many students from various backgrounds and politicians from across the spectrum, endangering the success of any future lobbying by NUS UK…Collective power of students remains important, and a sustainable alternative model of national cooperation between student unions should be explored.”
The vote came after a damning report by Rebecca Tuck KC – following an investigation to which Campaign Against Antisemitism contributed – found that that NUS allowed the development of a “hostile environment” for Jewish students, with instances in which Jewish students were “subjected to harassment” likely to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010, in addition to NUS’s own code of conduct.
During the investigation, Shaima Dallali, the President of NUS, was removed from her position amidst allegations of antisemitism. This was the first time in the Union’s 100-year history that a President has been removed.
The University of Oxford’s Students’ Union has also announced that it will be holding a vote on disaffiliation later this month.
Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitismby universities.
If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].
