closeicon
News

NUS antisemitism report is 'vindication' for Jewish students says former president

Politicians and communal organisations have reacted to the 'disturbing' report and praised Jewish students who sounded the alarm

articlemain

The shocking report into the scale of antisemitism at the National Union of Students (NUS) is "vindication" for Jewish students, former president Wes Streeting said.

Speaking to the JC, the Labour MP and shadow cabinet member praised Jewish students for showing "real courage in the face of terrible adversity" after shocking testimony revealed widespread Jew-hatred in the organisation that he led from 2008 to 2010.

Conservative Education Minister Robert Halfon welcomed the findings of the report, but told the JC that he would judge the NUS on its actions and said they must ensure that the recommendations made "aren't just nice words on a piece of paper".

On Thursday, a damning report from independent KC Rebecca Tuck branded the national student union a “hostile environment” for Jews and said that it had consistently ignored and dismissed antisemitism within its own ranks.

The investigation was one of two launched in May last year. The first was into former president Shaima Dallali who was fired in November after an independent panel found “significant breaches of NUS’ policies”.

The NUS itself described today's 100-page report as “a detailed and shocking account of antisemitism” and has pledged to implement the KC’s recommendations in full.

Reacting to the report, Wes Streeting, Labour MP and former NUS President said: “This report is a vindication of UJS and others who sounded the alarm about NUS’s failure to tackle antisemitism within in its ranks. Jewish students have shown real courage in the face of terrible adversity."

He also praised the NUS for accepting the recommendations in full, and taking the "unprecedented step" of removing a sitting president from office, adding that there are "encouraging signs that NUS is taking the action needed to restore the organisation to the proud anti-racist organisation it has been throughout most of its 100 year history."

And Labour's Shadow Universities Minister, Matt Western MP, described the findings as "deeply worrying", saying: "Antisemitism has no place in society and must be stamped out wherever it is found.

"I am pleased to see the NUS accept the findings of the Report and recognise the need for change. Students deserve to feel safe, supported and welcome on campus."

Education Minister Robert Halfon told the JC: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and never again should the main body that represents students across this country be a hostile place for Britain's Jewish students.

"It shouldn't just be a safe place, it should be a welcoming place, and so, I want to see what happens and what the NUS does to make sure the recommendations aren't just nice words on a piece of paper, but actually happen in practice."

And Lord John Mann, the government's independent advisor on antisemitism, told the JC that this report is "an important staging post", and has ramifications beyond just the UK.

"There's a lot of substance in it," he said. "If they can demonstrate they can deliver on it, it's of big significance actually beyond this country because it could set a standard for student organisations in Europe and particularly North America."

Jewish community leaders have also reacted with horror at the "unacceptable reality" of antisemitism that Jewish students have faced, calling on the NUS to ensure that the recommendations are fully implemented.

Mark Gardner, CEO of the Community Security Trust, which provides security to the Jewish community and supports Jewish students on campus, described the report as "disturbing", adding: "It is a shocking indictment of NUS that an organisation that is supposed to uphold the highest standards of anti-racism and equality has ended up creating what Tuck called a 'hostile environment' for Jewish students."

Karen Pollock, CEO of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "For generations, they have been subjected to hostility, harassment, and a lack of representation within NUS spaces. It is now imperative that NUS takes this opportunity to collaborate with the Union of Jewish Students and implement the essential changes."

The Board of Deputies said the report shows a "litany of failures" by the organisation, that it treated Jewish students "with apathy at best and hostility at worst", and called on the NUS to work with the UJS to implement the recommendations in full.

And Co-CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council Claudia Mendoza described it as a "sad indictment" of the "hostile environment" in NUS, adding: "It makes clear that this culture of antisemitism is not new within NUS and, indeed, previous reports investigating this problem have been consistently ignored. This is an opportunity for NUS to work with the Union of Jewish Students and seek a fundamental change in its culture."

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive