An independent report by a barrister looking into widespread allegations of antisemitism within the National Union of Students has concluded the body failed in its legal duty to protect Jewish students from harassment relating to their race and religion over a 17-year period.
The damning 108-page report, by KC Rebecca Tuck, concludes that the NUS has encouraged a “hostile environment” towards Jewish students and has committed key breaches of the Equality Act 2010.
Tuck finds that in seven of eight cases of alleged anti-Jewish racism by NUS officers that she reviewed, “classic antisemitic tropes… and references to Hitler and Nazism were made when commenting on Israel”.
It reveals that on one occasion the NUS ignored a Jewish student complaint alleging that a student leader had called for a ‘final solution’ on Jewish representation on the body’s Anti Racism Anti Fascism committee at a meeting.
Tuck’s report – which followed her earlier one, which looked into the conduct of now dismissed former NUS president Shaima Dallali – concluded that the culture in the NUS over the past 17 years has “been perceived by many Jewish students, for good reason, as hostile”.
It also details a failure by the NUS to act on previous reports into its failings around antisemitism and failings of record keeping relating to the problem.
The KC suggests the “underlying reason” for the breakdown in relations between Jewish students linked to the Union of Jewish Students and the NUS is over discourse around Israel and Palestine. But the report finds no evidence of claims made by pro-Palestine activists that the IHRA definition of antisemitism has a “chilling effect” on free speech.
She writes of “numerous instances where Jewish students have suffered antisemitism because of assumptions that they are ‘Zionists’ and assumptions about what that means.”
Tuck adds: “This has led to views within NUS both that complaints of antisemitism are made in bad faith to try and avert pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli political advocacy, and to an antipathy towards Jewish students in spaces such as conferences. This has resulted in antisemitism as well as hostility towards Jews which has not been challenged sufficiently robustly or proactively by NUS.”
Responding to the report’s publication Joel Rosen the president of the Union of Jewish Students said: “This landmark report sets out in granular detail how NUS has failed generations of Jewish students.
“It is a searing indictment of anti-Jewish racism at the heart of student politics. It confirms that Jewish students faced harassment and discrimination and that complaints of antisemitism were dismissed and disregarded.
“It is vital that this report is translated into meaningful and immediate action. All eleven recommendations in the report should be implemented. We now need to see a fundamental change within NUS’ culture and Jewish students will judge them on their actions.”
In a statement, NUS accepted the report was a “detailed and shocking account of antisemitism within the student movement”.
It added: “It is a truly difficult read for all of us, but we welcome the clarity it brings to enable us to act with confidence to tackle antisemitism head on. Let us be clear, there is no place for antisemitism within NUS and we are committed to ensuring that Jewish students feel safe and welcome in every corner of our movement.”
