Students at Queen Mary University, London, have voted to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students (NUS), and have accused the student body of “anti-Palestinian racism,” after its Muslim president Shaima Dallali was fired last month.

In March this year the National Union of Students elected Shaima Dallali as its new president at its annual conference in Liverpool. Dallali, who is of Sudanese-Tunisian heritage, was elected for a two-year term.

But in May the government cut ties with the NUS over “concerns of antisemitism” after Jewish students took offence to her tweet in 2012 addressed to Jews and in defense of Palestinian although she apologized.

But last month an NUS disciplinary panel concluded that Dallali, who is an outspoken defender of Palestinian rights, should be removed from her post after reviewing the recommendations of KC Rebecca Tuck’s report into antisemitism allegations.

Following the sacking, the Federation of Student Islamic Societies called on Muslim students to boycott the National Union of Students.

In a vote last week at the university’s student union the following motion was passed:

“Recently the NUS, for the first time in its entire history, removed its democratically elected President. The removal of an elected leader is an affront to the democratic nature that the NUS purports to obtain.”

“Despite its commitment to anti-racism, the NUS has contributed to the spread of anti- Palestinian racism. This punitive reaction reflects a political context that has sought to toxify Palestine and is part of a wider pattern of endemic and systematic bigotry and prejudice.” The Association of Student Activism for Palestine has said that the removal of the elected President Shaima Dallali is a direct attack on pro-Palestine student activism.

The NUS has long ignored calls from Muslim students, organizations and the representative Muslim student body Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) – who have said that NUS is no longer a safe space for Muslim students.

Dallali, is pursuing the matter through her solicitors. Meanwhile, the Queen Mary motions were passed in spite of strong opposition from the university’s Jewish society.

Source: 5pillars