Tony Greenstein | 27 October 2016 | Post Views:

Academics, Lawyers and Anti-Racist Activists in Support of NUS
President

It is good to
see that so many prominent academics and other people have signed a letter to The
Independent
opposing the attack on Malia Bouattia by racist Zionists and
racist Parliamentarians, led by Chuku Ummuna and Keith Vaz.
In attacking the President of NUS,
Malia Bouattia, a refugee from real oppression in Algeria, for ‘anti-Semitism’
the Committee descended into the gutter.  It relied on McCarthyite guilt
by association and did not have the integrity or honesty to invite her to give
evidence.  Instead it quoted the Union of Jewish Students, for whom Israel
advocacy is an integral part of its constitutional requirements, that the
statement the University of Birmingham is “something of a Zionist outpost
is anti-Semitic.  Why this is anti-Semitic is never explained. 
Presumably the UJS and the Committee, in conjunction with the BNP and other
fascist organisations, agree that to be Zionist is to be Jewish.  There is
no other logic.   It is no more racist than describing the University
of Sussex as a radical outpost.
On the basis of the above the
Committee concludes that ‘The current President of the National Union of
Students, Malia Bouattia, does not appear to take sufficiently seriously the
issue of antisemitism on campus’
 
 The Jewish students it refers to are
representatives or supporters of the pro-Israel UJS.  Anti-Zionist Jewish
students are, of course, invisible to the Committee as are anti-Zionist Jews
generally.
Chuku Ummuna – Black on the outside but his politics are of the White racist Establishment
Earlier this
year at the time when the witch hunt of Malia first began I had a letter
published in The Guardian in support of Malia. 
Her ‘crime’?  Describing
Birmingham University as a ‘Zionist output’. 
The parliamentary idiots and defamers saw that as anti-Semitic.  Presumably the World Zionist Organisation and
the British Zionist Federation are also anti-Semitic by this very same
argument?  ‘Zionist’ is not the same as ‘Jew’
– the only people who claim it is are either anti-Semites such as the National
Front or BNP or, of course Zionists for whom anti-Zionist Jews are ‘traitors’. 
Zionist is a political term and describing Birmingham
University as a Zionist outpost is no different from describing Manchester University
as a Tory outpost or Kent University as a feminist outpost etc.
The Zionists,
who have been allowed unfortunately by the weakness of Jeremy Corbyn to traduce
anti-racists in the Labour Party as ‘anti-Semites’ have now turned their
attention to others, including it would seem Baroness Jenny Tonge and Mali
Bouttia.  In targeting the first Black
woman as President of NUS, Chuku Ummuna demonstrates what a shallow, right-wing
little Uncle Tom he is.
Tony Greenstein
In support of Malia Bouattia 
We, the
undersigned, unequivocally support Malia Bouattia, the current NUS president
and applaud her impeccable record fighting anti-Semitism, racism and her
unwavering support for international students.
The
Home Affairs Select Committee this week released its report into
anti-Semitism. As well as gratuitously levelling attacks against twice elected
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti,
judgment is also reserved for Ms Bouattia. It claims that she has “failed to
take sufficiently seriously the issue of anti-Semitism”.
Ms
Bouattia has fought tirelessly against all forms of racism, anti-Semitism,
sexism and homophobia. To name but a few of her many achievements and
commitments, she previously called for a review into institutional racism
(including anti-Semitism) in the NUS, spearheaded solidarity initiatives for
migrants and refugees in Calais, campaigned against the deportation of
international students, worked on interfaith projects and safe spaces for faith
students, co-led the largest opposition to the controversial PREVENT agenda;
and all alongside her constant work with student unions across the country to
dismantle racism.
The
disparity between the report’s representations of Ms Bouattia compared with her
actual record should be cause for real concern. The misuse and abuse of
anti-Semitism belittle genuine threats against the Jewish community, primarily
posed by a newly consolidated far-right in a post-Brexit landscape.
Dr
Tanzil Chowdhury, University of Manchester

Professor Norman Finkelstein, Sakarya University

Emeritus Professor Moshe Machover, KCL

Deborah Maccoby, Executive, Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Emeritus Professor Colin Green, UCL

Professor Haim Bresheeth, SOAS

Sir Geoffrey Bindman,QC

Michael Mansfield, QC, Mansfield Chambers

Mansfied Chambers, Barrister’s Chambers

Dr Elian Weizman, CBRL Kenyon Institute, East Jerusalem

Professor Mona Baker, University of Manchester

Professor Piers Robinson, University of Sheffield

Dr Paul Keleman, University of Manchester

Professor Richard Seaford, University of Exeter

Professor Bill Bowring, Birkbeck College

Dr Shirin Hirsch, University of Glasgow

Professor Myriam Salama-Carr, University of Manchester

Professor Hakim Adi, University of Chichester

Professor Tim Jacoby, University of Manchester

Dr Virinder Kalra, University of Manchester

Professor Paul Blackledge, Leeds Beckett University

Professor James Dickins, University of Leeds

Professor Robbie Shilliam, QMUL

Professor Salman Sayyid, University of Leeds

Professor Malcolm Povey, University of Leeds

Dr Anandi Ramamurthy, Sheffield Hallam University

Professor Ray Bush, University of Leeds

Professor Laleh Khalili, SOAS

Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya, University of East London

Dr Kasia Narkowicz, University of York

Dr Sarah Marusek, University of Johannesburg

Dr Joanna Gilmore, University of York

Dr Waqas Tufail, Leeds Beckett University

Dr Adam Elliot-Cooper, University of Warwick

Dr Nadine El-Enany, Birkbeck College

Dr Sadia Habib, Goldsmiths

Dr Mark Carrigan, University of Warwick

Dr Judit Druks, UCL

Dr Nathaniel Coleman, Birmingham City University

Dr Una Barr, Manchester Metropolitan University

Dr Les Levidow, Open University

Yael Kahn, Israeli anti-apartheid activist

Michael Kalmanovitz, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

Haifa Zangana, Author & Journalist

Victoria Brittain, Author & Journalist

Liz Davies, barrister & Honorary Vice-President Haldane Society of
Socialist Lawyers

Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair BARAC UK

Lee Jasper, National Co-Chair BARAC UK

Peter Herbert, Society of Black Lawyers

Ronnie Barkan, Boycott from Within

Max Blumenthal, Journalist

Dr Jamie Woodcock, LSE

Dr Naaz Rashid, University of Sussex

Dr Nisha Kapoor, University of York

Dr Abdul B Shaikh, University of Leeds

Dr Katy Sian, University of York

Dr Rizwaan Sabir, Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Naomi Foyle, University of Chichester

Dr Hannah Jones, University of Warwick

Dr Paul Bagguley, University of Leeds

Dr James Eastwood, QMUL

Dr Sarah Keenan, Birkbeck University

Dr Leon Sealey-Huggins, University of Warwick

Dr Kitt Price, QMUL

Dr Lorenza Monaco, University of Johannesburg

Dr Hannah Bargawi, SOAS

Dr Sadhvi Dar, QMUL

Dr Kerem Nisancioglu, SOAS

Dr Owen Miller, SOAS

Dr Paul Waley, University of Leeds

Dr Feyzi Ismail, SOAS

Dr Yasmeen Narayan, Birkbeck University

Dr. Jamil Sherif, Muslim Council of Britain

Dr William Ackah, Birkbeck University

Dr Humaira Saeed, Nottingham Trent University

Deyika Nzeribe, Green Party Manchester Mayoral Candidate

Neema Begum, PhD Candidate, University of Bristol

Mohammed Kasbar, PhD Candidate, QMUL

Ed Yates, PhD Candidate

Cecil Sagoe, PhD Candidate, UCL

Tom Cowan, PhD Candidate, KCL

David Wearing, PhD Candidate, SOAS

Noor Al-Sharif, PhD Candidate, McGill University

Sai Englert, PhD Candidate, SOAS

Altheia Jones-Lecointe, PhD Candidate

Hengameh Ziai, PhD Candidate, Columbia University

Lisa Tilley, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick

Jamie Stern-Weiner, PhD Candidate, University of Oxford

Smina
Akhtar, PhD Candidate, University of Bath

Jas Nijjar, PhD Candidate, Brunel University

Nithya Natarajan, PhD Candidate, SOAS

Jack Copley, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick

Carrie Benjamin, PhD Candidate, SOAS

Sita Balani, PhD Candidate, KCL

Gwenan Richards, SOAS

Kevin Blowe, Co-ordinator, Netpol

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods

Colette Williams, Manchester lead, BARAC

Linda Clair, Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Marlene Ellis, General Secretary of Momentum Black ConneXions

Kingsley Abrams, General Secretary of Momentum Black ConneXions

Dr Ramez Ghazoul, Artizana

Diana Nelsen, Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Arzu Merali, Head of Research, Islamic Human Rights Commission

Patricia Lamour, CEO for Gender Education & Enterprise Development for
Africa

Micheline Ravololonarisoa, Gender Education & Enterprise Development for
Africa

Tom Hickey, University of Brighton

Dr Brian Robinson, Retired NHS psychiatrist

Mike Cushman, LSE

Terry Gallogly, Free Speech on Israel

Rosamine Hayeem, Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine

Abe Hayeem, Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine

Vivienne Hayes, CEO, Women’s Resource Centre

Tony Dickinson, Leeds Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Ian McDonald, Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Ismail Patel, Chairman, Friends of Al-Aqsa

Connor Woodman, Warwick For Free Education

Stephanie Davis, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Brighton

Sandy Nicoll, SOAS UNISON Branch Secretary

Graham Kirkwood, UCU membership secretary, QMUL

Sara Callaway, Women of Colour Global Women’s Strike

Selma James, Women of Colour Global Women’s Strike

Nina Lopez, Legal Action for Women

Sam Weinstein, Payday Men’s Network

Jenny Hardacre, Freelancer

Chris Gutkind

Margot Brown

Salma Patel, Associate Lecturer, Open University

Shreya Sinha, PhD Candidate, SOAS

Ruba Salih, Reader, SOAS

Mehroosh Tak, PhD Candidate, SOAS

Dr Vanja Hamzić, Senior Lecturer in Legal History and Legal Anthropology, SOAS

Dr Ashok Kumar, Fellow, Queen Mary University of London

Matteo Mandarini, Lecturer in Strategy, Queen Mary University of London

Rahul Rao, Senior Lecturer, SOAS

Dr Sharri Plonski, Postdoc Researcher, SOAS

Dr Alessandra Mezzadri, Lecturer, SOAS

Ahu Tatli, Professor, Queen Mary University of London

Nadje Al-Ali, Professor of Gender Studies, SOAS

Musab Younis, PhD Candidate, Oxford University

Mara Duer, PhD student, Warwick University

Victoria B-G Stadheim, PhD Student / GTA, SOAS

Te-Anne Robles, PhD student, University of Warwick

Rachel Harger, Defend the Right to Protest

Dr Milly Williamson, Brunel University

Penny Green, Professor of Law and Globalisation, Queen Mary University of London

Dr Emma Heywood, Lecturer, Coventry University

Phil Edwards, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University

Dr Anisa Mustafa, Teaching Associate in Public Policy, University of Nottingham

Yusuf Hassan, Vice President Student Affairs, Federation of Student Islamic
Societies

Mehmet Kurt, Newton Fellow, Queen Mary University of London

Dr. Narzanin Massoumi, University of Liverpool

Julian Petley, Professor, Brunel University

Sayed Alkadiri, FOSIS

Andreas Bieler, Professor of Political Economy, University of Nottingham

Dr Jamie Melrose, University of Bristol

Jules Carey, Human Rights Solicitor

Nariman Massoumi, Lecturer, Film & TV, University of Bristol

Brian Richardson, Barrister, Mansfield Chambers

Javier Moreno Zacarés, Phd researcher, University of Warwick

Khalid Khedri, PhD Candidate, QMUL

Rhona Friedman, solicitor

Dr Emma L Briant, Lecturer, University of Sheffield

Muhammad Feyyaz, Assistant Professor, University of Management and Technology,
Lahore, Pakistan

Deepa Kumar, Associate Professor, Rutgers University

Dr Thomas MacManus, Research Fellow, Queen Mary University of London School of
Law

Dr Kirsten Forkert, Senior Lecturer, Birmingham City University

John L. Esposito, Professor, Georgetown University

Matt Foot, Solicitor, Birnberg Peirce

Bouteldja Houria, Activist, PIR

Rana Jawad, Senior Lecturer, University of Bath

Ramón Grosfoguel, Professor, University of California at Berkeley

Sandew Hira, coordinator, Decolonial International Network

Dr Mark Hayes, Senior Lecturer Human Sciences, Solent University

Mark Elf, Jews sans frontieres

Dr Hatem Bazian, Lecturer, NES and Asian American Studies, UC Berkeley

Dr Abida Malik, Tutor in Sociology, University of Nottingham

Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers

Amanj Aziz, Student, Gothenburg University

Tom Mills, Lecturer in Sociology, Aston University

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Tony Greenstein

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