The President of the National Union of Students Shaima Dallali is reported to have been suspended from her post.  The alleged suspension comes following an internal investigation into “the President Elect” conducted by Rebecca Tuck, QC.  Ms Tuck was also conducting a public investigation into antisemitism at the NUS, and the draft report is due by the end of September and the final report by the end of October.

Shaima Dallali on Twitter

UKLFI wrote to the National Union of Students (NUS) in April 2022,  to warn them of incendiary and antisemitic views expressed by the incoming National President, Shaima Dallali, in statements on Twitter and elsewhere.  UKLFI’s considered these statements were  antisemitic when judged against the IHRA’s working definition and that this should result in disciplinary action.  Ms Dallali had been due to take up her new position in July 2022.

The NUS never responded to UKLFI’s letter, but the letter was passed to Rebecca Tuck QC, when she was subsequently appointed to conduct an investigation into Shaima Dallali’s appointment, and Ms Tuck contacted UKLFI to request further information for her report.

See our previous news story HERE  for details of Shaima Dallali’s breaches of the NUS policy on antisemitism.

The NUS published an update on Rebecca Tuck QC’s Independent Investigation into Antisemitism within the NUS on 1 June 2022, where Ms Tuck explained that there were two clear parts to the investigation:

1) a public investigation into NUS and

2) an internal investigation into the President Elect under the NUS Code of Conduct.  

Ms Tuck stated: “Regarding the public investigation into NUS, I will open a public ‘call for evidence’ on Monday 6 June 2022 that will remain open for 1 calendar month. I will then conduct interviews that arise from the evidence submissions from July onwards. I intend to publish a first draft of the final report by the end of September and a final draft by the end of October 2022. This will be a thorough, open and transparent process. 

Regarding the internal investigation under the Code of Conduct, I will commence the process on 6 June 2022 and aim to conclude my investigation as a priority within the coming weeks.” 

It is likely that Shaima Dallali’s suspension comes as a result of Rebecca Tuck’s internal investigation into Shaima Dallali which according to Ms Tuck’s statement, may now have been completed.

Caroline Turner,  director of UKLFI, commented: “The president of the NUS appeared to be unsuitable for this role, given her history of incendiary social media postings. It seems that the internal report on Shaima Dallali has resulted in her suspension.  We hope that the NUS is now implementing its policies on antisemitism, and that it will discipline those who breach its policies.”

Some examples of Shaima Dallali’s incendiary tweets

·      In a  tweet in May 2021,  Dallali appeared to justify violent attacks on Israel, saying that ‘the Palestinians have the right to resist in all possible ways, even with weapons‘. 

·      She tweeted on 20 May 2021 “From the river to the sea” – this is part of the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” which implies support for the obliteration of Israel and denies the Jewish people their right to self-determination.

·      In May 2021 she tweeted “Good morning to everyone except Zionists, settler colonialist and apartheid sympathisers. Free Palestine”    , attacking Zionists (most of whom are Jews) and suggesting that the State of Israel is a racist endeavour. 

·      In May 2021 when the UJS celebrated Jerusalem Day, commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem, Dallali tweeted that “Jerusalem is the soul heart and capital of Palestine. You and your statement can go in the trash”

·      On 11.5.21 when the UJS tweeted regarding the Gaza War  “violence is never the answer, Boycotts only breed division, dialogue is the only way forward”,  Ms Dallali responded: “Dialogue with a Zionist settler colonial project will result in nothing. I encourage all students to get involved with the BDS campaign on campus and join the global demand to put an end to apartheid.”   

Many view the BDS campaign as antisemitic because its inexorable aim is the destruction of Israel as a Jewish State.