NUS President Malia Bouattia
British student leader: Non-violent resistance against Israel not enough
BDS activist Malia Bouattia decries 'Zionist-led media outlets,' calls for Palestinian armed resistance and refuses to condemn Islamic State.
An extreme political activist who refused to condemn ISIS and has advocated armed resistance against Israel was elected on Wednesday to become the new president of the British National Union of Students (NUS).
Malia Bouattia, the first black Muslim to occupy the position, has previously expressed her support for armed Palestinian resistance against Israel and claimed that “non-violent protests” are not enough.
Malia Bouattia calls for armed Palestinian resistance
In a video filmed a year-and-a-half ago, which was publicized this week, Bouattia can be seen delivering a speech in which she refers to “a vocal an uncompromising anti-colonialist approach to the occupation of Palestine” and calls upon Palestinians to partake in an armed uprising against Israel.
“With mainstream Zionist-led media outlets...resistance is presented as an act of terrorism...This has become an accepted discourse among too many,” Bouattia said.
She further stated that the the alternative to resistance has led to what she dismissively describes as “peace talks” that, she says, have resulted in the expansion of settlements and violations of human rights.
Moreover, after endorsing the Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions Movement (BDS) and boasting of her involvement in it, Bouattia declares that “To consider that Palestine will be free only by means of fundraising, non-violent protest and the BDS movement is problematic.”
The Algerian-born Bouattia, 28, first made headlines when she refused to condemn ISIS, reasoning that to do so would abett Islamophobic sentiment. As a result of her stance, the association was forced to clarify that it does not support the Jihadist group.
Shortly before the elections, many NUS officials refused to endorse Bouattia as a result of her contention that "the University of Birmingham is something of a Zionist outpost in British Higher Education".
Last week, she denied that she was anti-Semitic in response to a letter authored by 57 Jewish leaders expressing that they were “extremely concerned” by her remarks.
“I am extremely uncomfortable with insinuations of anti-Semitism. I want to be clear that for me to take issue with Zionist politics is not me taking issue with being Jewish," Bouattia retorted.
Prior to the NUS elections, a conference was held in Brighton in which the union discussed whether it was necessary to observe Holocaust Memorial Day. Some of the speakers at the event rejected the need on the basis that the union “ignores and forgets” other cases of genocide. Indeed, the remarks triggered a response from Labor MP John Mann, who said the union “is not doing enough to combat anti-Jewish hatred, and as such is failing in its responsibilities to its members.”
Despite the controversy surrounding Bouattia, she managed to beat the incumbent NUS president, Megan Dunn by a vote of 372 to 328.
