Next NUS president claims her ‘arms are outstretched’ to listen to Jewish students concerns
Shaima Dallali was responding to UJS tweet raising concerns over her past social media posts in support of Corbyn, and defending Hamas
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
![Former president of NUS, Shaima Dallali [Twitter].](https://static.jewishnews.co.uk/jewishnews/uploads/2022/03/93EM5K4U_400x400.jpg "Former president of NUS, Shaima Dallali [Twitter].")
The next president of the National Union of Students has said her “arms are outstretched” to Jewish students and will arrange a meeting once she is in office to “listen to concerns on how we can make our movement inclusive and open to all.”
My hands are outstretched to all students and staff that work in our movement, including Jewish students, and would love to arrange a meeting once I'm in office.
I stand ready to listen to the concerns of all students on how we can make our movement inclusive and open to all. https://t.co/SotdzgLAjw
— Shaima Dallali (@ShaimaDallali) March 29, 2022
Shaima Dallali tweeted on Tuesday in response to a post by the Union of Jewish Students expressing concerns over her previous social media posts, including claims Labour were wrong to remove the whip from Jeremy Corbyn, and apparent defence of Hamas.
The former City University student union leader tweeted: “My hands are outstretched to all students and staff that work in our movement, including Jewish students, and would love to arrange a meeting once I’m in office.
“I stand ready to listen to the concerns of all students on how we can make our movement inclusive and open to all.”
The call for a meeting with UJS came as Durham University’s Student Union (SU) officers issued a statement expressing solidarity with Jewish students.
It read: “When Durham SU’s student leadership faced attacks in the past year, we were grateful for the support of other students’ unions. We felt stronger because our friends weren’t silent.
“Jewish students have legitimate questions about decisions made by NUS in planning their National Conference, and the poor response that came when those decisions were challenged.
“There has been, unambiguously, a failure to recognise the risk and the reality of antisemitism.
“We can only bring about the changes we want to education and society if we do it collectively, through NUS. We’re stronger together. But when some students are excluded from NUS, we are all made weaker.
“When we’re at NUS Conference this week, we’ll insist that the NUS leadership recognise the problems they’ve created.
“We trust in their ability to reflect, and to make changes in partnership with Jewish students and their representatives. We’ll hold them accountable for making our national student movement welcoming for Jewish students.”
The UJS also hosted a drinks event on Monday at the NUS annual conference in LIverpool.
1/3 The NUS delegates have voted in Shaima Dallali as the next NUS president. Jewish students have spoken to us and raised their concerns over much of the messaging Dallali has put out on her social media in the past ???? https://t.co/Nv5gPQOp5u
— Union of Jewish Students (@UJS_UK) March 28, 2022
Joel Rosen, the incoming UJS president, tweeted himself: “There are a lot of bittersweet interactions here at the NUS conference in Liverpool.
“I’ve met so many people who offer support to Jewish students in private but don’t feel able to speak publicly. A of genuinely lovely and inspiring activists let down by a toxic culture.”
On Monday evening students linked to the Palestine Action group climbed the roof and gate-crashed the venue of the NUS 100th birthday event, which took place during the Liverpool conference.
They claimed to have acted “in solidarity” with the rapper and conspiracy theorist Lowkey who they claim was “cancelled” from appearing at the event.
Jewish students and the UJS had highlighted Lowkey’s track record for defending Bristol University’s sacked academic David Miller, and his more recent comments in which he claimed Ukranian President Zelensky’s Jewish background was being “weaponised” by the mainstream media to dent allegations around Nazi groups in the country.
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