Categories: uncategorized
Date: 01 March 2010 23:16:56
It appears that the DSU have another vote on NUS affiliation coming up next week. I have to say I am not a happy bunny about this one. There was a vote earlier this academic year and it was a fair and square case of people wanting NUS affiliation still. However, then we had the whole Durham Union/ BNP debate thing and some individuals have used it as a reason to argue our relationship with the NUS has now changed and another vote on afflilation is justified. Before, I think, the debate for many was whether the affiliation to the NUS had a direct effect upon the beer prices in the college bars but now it has turned in a different direction.
When members of the NUS executive wrote to the DSU to ask it not to allow the Durham Union debate on multi-culturalism to take place it led to a statement being issued by the university and the union. In the statement the Union, which is seperate from DSU (i.e. it is the uni debating society for want of a better term) included the following statement "I'm particularly concerned that the National Union of Students (NUS), which the DUS has no affiliation with, had planned to go out of their way to bring coaches of students to Durham, putting both their students and our members between rival groups of impassioned demonstrators."
Now this statement is technically right but actually inaccuate upon close inspection. It is based on a particular reading of the following letter which equality members of the NUS sent the DSU. I have copied and pasted from the Durham University Students for Free Speech Facebook group, taking it that it is not on a closed FB site and so is already in the public domain, and has been for some time.
Dear Vice Chancellor, Students' Union and Debating Society,
Re: National Party invited to speak at "Debate on Multiculturalism" called by Durham Debating Society
In relation to the event that is to take place next week, we are writing to remind you of your duties to those students that are most affected by the threat of the British National Party. You are bound under Race Relations legislation to promote equality of opportunity, eliminate racial discrimination, as well as fulfil the requirements of your race equality policy. We can confidently tell you that inviting members of the British National Party to address your students does not fulfil these requirements and therefore you may bring legal consequences upon yourselves.
Andrew Brons was a member of the National Socialist Movement, a group deliberately founded on Hitler's birthday and responsible for a number of arson attacks on synagogues in the 1960s. He was also the chairman of the National Front (1980-1984) and co-edited their journal. The same Andrew Brons you would like to speak has been seen shouting "Death to Jews", "White Power" and when approached by a Black police constable said "inferior beings like yourself probably do not understand the principle of free speech". The other speaker you have invited, Chris Beverley, is the BNP's main liaison with the Nazi-influenced National Democratic Party in Germany and attended the European National Front in 2007.
This proposed event also poses a health and safety risk to a many of your students. Where the BNP have been active in the past, racist attacks have always increased. When the University of Oxford Union decided to invite BNP leader Nick Griffin to a "debate", students were victims of physical and verbal abuse leading up to and on the day of the event itself. The situation you find yourself in is not unique, but other universities have decided to put the welfare and equal opportunities of their students first and cancel such events.
Their electoral success is irrelevant, particularly when you recognise the abhorrent views they hold and the violent and illegal actions they and members of their organisation have been involved in. We are advocates of free speech and agree that people should be allowed to say whatever they want regardless of whether we agree with it or not, but we also recognise that with this freedom comes responsibility, and if their speech is to the detriment of others' safety, that freedom is negated. We expect you would not allow someone to speak on the right to bear arms on campus or paedophiles whose main message is that sex with minors is acceptable as long as they consent. Yet you would allow a group that thinks that a number of your students do not even have the right to be in this country headline your event.
We were also wondering if you were aware that the Equality and Human Rights Commission has concluded that the membership criteria of the BNP is in breach of human rights legislation. Currently their membership only allows 'white indigenous' people to join. Is this the type of organisation that the University of Durham supports and welcomes? Given the make up of your student body we find it quite shocking that the invitation was even sent. It is even worse that your institution gladly accepts the fees of Jewish, Muslim, LGBT and Black students, many of them on international fees, and yet have given little thought to their right to live and study free from the threat of violent discrimination.
The debating society should cancel this event and offer apologies for the offence that it has caused. Whilst we respect that the students' union cannot dictate to the debating society, it does have the right to impose sanctions on those students that knowingly engage in infringing on the equal opportunities of others. Ultimately it appears that the power in this situation lies with the university and we hope that you will act in the best interests of your students and cancel the event.
Should you fail to listen to our advice you will have a colossal demonstration on your hands. The National Union of Students, Unite Against Fascism, and other anti-fascist organisations are already mobilising nationally and organising coach loads of students to demonstrate at your university on Friday evening. This will no doubt bring with it a lot of negative media attention and if any students are hurt in and around this event responsibility will lie with you.
We would appreciate it if you could outline how you will now proceed with this issue and ensure that those students who are under threat from the BNP's racist and homophobic principles will be protected.
We await your prompt response.
Regards,
Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy
NUS Black Students' Officer
NUS Anti-Racism, Anti-Fascism Convenor
Daf Adley
NUS LGBT Officer
NUS Anti-Racism, Anti-Fascism Committee
I have heard this letter described as threatening and indeed the response to it by students meant that Wes Streeting, the NUS president came up to Durham to explain it, as covered in this Northern Echo article.
Having been witness to the goings on up here and based upon the my reading of the letter here is my take:
1) There are a distinct right wing group in Durham who wish to push for disaffiliation. They are politically savy and looking for all opportunities to get this through.
2) The DSU is struggling financially, they have had to close their shop and are talking about taking away the coffee bar which is making a loss. The bars are a vital part of making money for the DSU and doing this effectively involves the bulk buying powers of the NUS.
3) The letter was sent by equality reps within the NUS, not by the NUS executive itself. It links to Unite Against Facism who are connected with the SWP, (by virtue of them being part of the coalition) and had the full campaigning might of the SWP swing into action on this one, in terms of providing resources and several decades of experience of mobilising on this one. Remember UAF is what took over from the Anti-Nazi League as the main campaigning body in such cases. The NUS in this case, as an affilitate of UAF not the SWP was caught up by association. Therefore, the NUS was in no way threatening the DSU or anything, in fact the NUS did not send the letter again I reiterate it was sent by reps.
The appropriate reps were seeking to (i) protect their minority ethnic group members in the uni, (ii) remind the DSU of their legal responsibilities, (iii) explain the history of the people that the Union had invited and the public safety issues that had occurred in the past due to clashes between far right nationalist and anti-fascist organisations and (iv) point out if the event went ahead the left were organising and so there would be a huge demo. From what I can see these people were actually doing their job! They did not seek to intimidate, they sought to explain but also organise.
The Film Society did post Wes Streetings visit to Durham on You Tube through a series of film clips. I am going to post all these because I think it is vital for people to hear the NUS side aswell. My aim is to try and give people as much information as possible as I think alot of misinformation has been thrown about, particularly by those who want disaffiliation. I urge anybody who reads this, and is eligable, to vote. It's clear which way I lean, but my view is it is up to others to vote as they wish, but in an informed way. Also I think it is interesting because it shows alot about the debate on whether to give the BNP coverage.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8iMit_TdVE&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjkor_0sAo&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyJNm4v4Z2E&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yc5a26JEMk&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9igUy6sLuU&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOAYY8jAt8c&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI_LCkliX4A&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWOoSDNUj9M&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ntD-NQ6Ww&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0jO3gd1xJg&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43ozZt3D8fU&feature=related[/youtube]