AMM confirms campaign leader for SU’s disaffiliation from NUS UK

By Lenny Osler, News Reporter

Aden Saeed, a final year Aerospace Engineering undergraduate, has come forward during the Student Council’s Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM) to lead the campaign for Bristol SU to disaffiliate with the National Union of Students (NUS UK).

In the upcoming referendum, a vote for ‘Yes’ is a vote for continuing affiliation, while a vote for ‘No’ is a vote for disaffiliation. Currently, no students have come forward to lead the ‘Yes’ campaign.

Bristol SU is currently a member of both NUS UK and NUS Charity, with only the membership of the former being contested.

NUS UK is a limited company. It elects officers to represent students nationally and campaigns on student issues. Bristol SU pays £30,000 per year for NUS UK membership.

Meanwhile, NUS Charity is a registered charity responsible for providing Students’ Unions across the country with services such as shops and food venues. Bristol SU pays £7,500 for NUS Charity Membership.

NUS UK’s recent campaigns include petitions to reverse the freeze on student loan repayment thresholds and reform interest rates to ease the pressure on students repaying debt. They take campaigns to Parliament to lobby on behalf of students nationally, such as at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students event last November.

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EpigramLenny Osler

NUS UK has come under scrutiny in recent years. In 2022, NUS president Shaima Dallali was dismissed on claims of anti-Semitism after a tweet she made in 2012 came to light. Subsequently, the Federation of Student Islamic Societies defended Dallali, claiming ‘institutional Islamophobia’ existed within the NUS.

More recently, controversy after around 200 student leaders and societies across the country signed an open letter last year to NUS UK as part of the ‘Not My NUS’ campaign.

The letter criticised NUS UK’s silence on the ongoing violence in Gaza, which has been widely described as a genocide by human rights groups and charities including Amnesty International.

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EpigramCara Hene

‘Not My NUS’ also accused NUS UK of disregarding anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia, as well as failing to support pro-Palestinian student protesters after they faced condemnation and suspension by their universities.

After the open letter, NUS UK threatened to ban its signatories from NUS events. This prompted Cambridge SU to disaffiliate from NUS UK after a referendum, with Cardiff SU also voting against renewing affiliation.

Speaking to Epigram, Aden Saeed said that in Bristol, ‘we stand up for equality, regardless of the time’, adding that ‘we are very much going to continue that now, whether it be for purposes for our Muslim friends or our Jewish friends, for everyone, we want equality.’

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Candidates can nominate themselves until Friday 20 February. Candidates are revealed on 6 March before voting begins on 9 March.

EpigramJames Lewis

On March 6 there will be a debate, chaired by Epigram, between the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns in the Balloon Bar from 5:30-6:30 PM.

This will be held alongside the SU Elections Press Day, which will feature interviews from candidates for each Full-Time Officer (FTO) role. Voting for SU officers and other roles will be held in the same week as the referendum.

Featured Image: Lenny Osler