The National Union of Students has ousted its president after a long-running independent inquiry into allegations of antisemitism found “significant breaches” of the organisation’s policies.
The allegations of misconduct are thought to centre around past comments by Shaima Dallali, in some cases dating back 10 years before her election as NUS president in March this year.
In a statement announcing the decision, the NUS said: “Following the independent [King’s Counsel]-led investigation into allegations of antisemitism, specifically into the then president-elect under the NUS code of conduct, an independent panel has found that significant breaches of NUS policies have taken place.
“As per this finding, we have terminated the president’s contract.”
The NUS said the panel’s decision may be subject to appeal. Chloe Field, an NUS vice-president, will be acting chair of the NUS UK board until a new president can be appointed.
“In strict accordance with rules around employees and confidentiality, we will not be sharing any further details on the investigation into the president,” the NUS said. “We can assure any interested parties that this process has been incredibly robust and that we can and must trust in the outcome.
“We know that there will be strong feelings around this issue, so we urge people to respect this process and to refrain from taking part in or perpetuating any abuse, particularly online, towards anyone involved in this matter.”
Dallali, a former student union president at City, University of London, was elected leader of the NUS for a two-year term starting in July. But in August she was suspended from the role as a result of the investigation.
After Dallali’s election the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) objected to comments she is alleged to have made, including a tweet posted in 2012 that read: “Khaybar Khaybar O Jews … Muhammad’s army will return Gaza,” referencing a historical massacre. Dallali later apologised for the tweet.
The UJS said it “respects the decision of the National Union of Students to dismiss their president. Antisemitism in the student movement goes beyond the actions of any one individual and this case is a symptom of a wider problem.
“Jewish students across the country will be asking how an individual deemed unfit for office by NUS was elected in the first place. We await the findings of the substantive inquiry into NUS treatment of Jewish students.”
The Federation of Student Islamic Societies called Dallali’s removal “disgraceful,” and called for student unions to disaffiliate from the NUS.
“The investigation into Shaima has been deeply politicised from the outset, and due process has not been followed, opening Shaima up to the court of public opinion and denying her the opportunity to fairly represent herself,” it said in a statement.
The president’s dismissal – said to be the first time in the organisation’s 100-year history – came after pressure for the NUS to address longstanding concerns over antisemitism. The Guardian revealed in April that more than 20 former NUS presidents, including three former cabinet ministers, had warned the organisation’s trustees to address concerns from Jewish students.
After consultation with the UJS, the NUS asked Rebecca Tuck KC to undertake an inquiry into Dallali’s conduct and wider issues of antisemitism.
In an interview with the Guardian in April, Dallali said of the controversy: “It genuinely is really difficult to have to see these horrible things being said about me. They are not true. This idea that I don’t like Jewish people, or I’m hateful towards the Jewish community, is absolutely not true.”
Dallali said she had received Islamaphobic and racist online abuse, including death threats, after the allegations came to light.
Robert Halfon, the education minister, said: “We welcome the verdict to this initial investigation and look forward to seeing the outcome of the next stage, which will provide more detail on NUS’s plans to address antisemitism within the organisation.”
