Students will no longer be able to select their representatives in the National Union of Students’ anti-racism committee, following a vote backed by the union president.
An amendment was made to the NUS’s Anti-Rascism and Anti-Fascism Campaign meaning that the seven members of the committee will be chosen by the organisation's national executive council and President Malia Bouattia.
Ms Bouattia had the deciding vote on the policy change after the votes were tied, leading to the amendment being passed.
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The committee currently has places reserved for the Black students’ officer, a member of the Black students’ campaign, a Jewish member, a Muslim member, an LGBT+ member, an international or migrant member and one open place for any member.
A spokesperson for the NUS told The Independent: “Students who identify as Jewish and those who do not spoke both for and against the amendment.
“This amendment passed. Because this was a ‘delete and replace’ amendment, this effectively became the motion, superseding previous motions and amendments.”
The organisation confirmed further consultations will take place during the year, and “the policy may change” depending on these findings.
A spokesman for the Union of Jewish students criticised the decision and blamed Ms Bouattia for dismissing the concerns of ethnic minority students.
“It was no surprise the NUS president, who had the deciding vote, once again showed that she has absolutely no interest in defending Jewish students’ interests by voting to remove the ability of Jewish students to shape for themselves the student movement’s fight against racism and fascism,” the organisation told The Tab.
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1/44 12 July 2017
Orange Order members march past Ardoyne shops on the Crumlin Road in Belfast as part of the 'Twelfth of July' celebrations. The controversial flashpoint has seen many outbreaks of serious public disorder in the past due to contentious parades. This mornings parade passed off peacefully with no nationalist protestors lining the Orangemen's route past the interface, a move which many political commentators regard as progress between the two communities
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2/44 11 July 2017
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May gets up from her seat to deliver a speech on modern working practices at the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in London
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3/44 11 July 2017
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4/44 11 July 2017
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5/44 10 July 2017
Supporters of Charlie Gard hold up placards outside the High Court in central London
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6/44 10 July 2017
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after a visit to Borough Market with Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull (not pictured) in central London
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7/44 10 July 2017
A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades.
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8/44 10 July 2017
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9/44 9 July 2017
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10/44 8 July 2017
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11/44 7 July 2017
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip John May arrive for a concert at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany
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12/44 7 July 2017
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13/44 6 July 2017
Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Minister) David Davis (R) meets Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney for talks at no 11, Downing Street
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14/44 6 July 2017
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15/44 5 July 2017
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking after being awarded an honorary degree at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh
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16/44 5 July 2017
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17/44 4 July 2017
Queen Elizabeth II talks with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during an audience at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
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18/44 4 July 2017
Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay, with his wife Kati Mackinlay, leave Westminster Magistrates' Court in London where he faced charges over his 2015 general election expenses
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19/44 3 July 2017
Security staff with dogs before the start of play at Wimbledon
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20/44 2 July 2017
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21/44 1 July 2017
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22/44 30 June 2017
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23/44 29 June 2017
Campaigners from Avaaz dressed as British Prime Minister Theresa May and Australian media Mogul Rupert Murdoch pose during a photocall outside the Houses of Parliament on Campaigners from Avaaz dressed as British Prime Minister Theresa May and Australian media Mogul Rupert Murdoch pose during a photocall outside the Houses of Parliament on June 29, 2017 in London, England. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced that the Competitions and Markets Authority is to conduct a further six-month investigation into Murdoch’s proposed £11.7bn takeover of Sky.
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24/44 27 June 2017
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25/44 27 June 2017
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26/44 26 June 2017
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27/44 26 June 2017
Residents leave their home on the Taplow Block on the Chalcots Estate on June 26, 2017 in London, England. Residents of the Chalcots Estate have been urged to leave their homes due to fire safety fears in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Four of the five Chalcots Estate towers in Camden, North London, are being evacuated after they were found to have similar cladding to that on Grenfell, attributed to contributing to the rapid spread of the blaze last week that killed at least 79 people
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28/44 25 June 2017
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29/44 24 June 2017
Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses revellers from the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival
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30/44 23 June 2017
British Prime Minister Theresa May addresses a news conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 23, 2017
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31/44 22 June 2017
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32/44 22 June 2017
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33/44 21 June 2017
A reveller walks among the tipi tents at the Glastonbury Festival of Music and Performing Arts on Worthy Farm near the village of Pilton in Somerset, South West England
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34/44 20 June 2017
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The Borough Market bell is seen in Borough Market in central London following its re-opening after the June 3 terror attack
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Two women embrace in Borough Market, which officially re-opens today following the recent attack, in central London
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan attends the re-opening of Borough market in central London following the June 3 terror attack
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People walk through Borough Market in central London following its re-opening after the June 3 terror attack
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News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, with one of his daughters, visit Borough Market, which officially re-opened today following the recent attack
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A woman reacts in front of a wall of messages in Borough Market, which officially re-opened today following the recent attack, in central London
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Vivenne Westwood walks the runway at the Vivenne Westwood show during the London Fashion Week Men's June 2017 collections
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Millwall fan and London Bridge hero Roy Larner on 'Good Morning Britain'
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Richard Arnold, Roy Larner, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on 'Good Morning Britain'
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44/44 11 June 2017
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“Malia is still yet to adequately answer the concerns of Jewish students regarding her past rhetoric, and today provided further proof that Jewish students are right to feel unsafe in the national union that she leads.
“After today’s vote, it is clear that NUS, and specifically the NUS president, has no desire to listen to Jewish students.”
In April this year Ms Bouattia was forced to deny claims she harbours anti-Semitic beliefs, after she allegedly described the University of Birmingham as “something of a Zionist outpost”.
Ms Bouattia said: “The truth is, as those who know me well understand, I’ve always been a strong campaigner against racism and fascism in all its forms.”
The Independent has contacted Ms Bouattia for further comment on the vote.
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