Oppose racist “stop and search” policies

Government and opposition proposals to scrap “bureaucracy” and “stop and account” with regard to police searches will lead to further victimisation of black and Asian people. Current measures at least attempt to ensure that there is reasonable suspicion before police officers can stop and search people.

Any suggestion that the police force as an institution, and therefore officers operating under its guidelines are no longer racist in an attempt to justify new measures is unfounded and misguided. Currently black people are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than there white counterparts and Asians are twice as likely – a statistic that has increased through the “war on terror”. If accountability is removed it will lead to further targeting of minorities and could lead to a massive backlash as was seen in Brixton and other areas in the 1980s.

Gun and knife crime is not only a problem within in the black community; it is a problem for society as a whole. Isolating the black community and placing blame squarely upon it is nothing short of racism.

A 2003 Home Office report that analysed police stop and searches “in anticipation of violence” found that the “hit rates” were “surprisingly low, and suggest that police actions alone are unlikely to have a huge impact on the carrying of knives”.


Only by addressing the root causes of the problems – racism, inequality and lack of job and school opportunities, will we stop the problems. The government and opposition groups should refrain from reactionary politics where the only objective is to political point score at the expense of the black community.


Assed Baig
NUS Black Students Committee
WMANUS Anti-Racism Anti-Fascism Officer
Staffordshire University Students’ Union Executive Member

Student Respect launches challenge for NUS leadership

Like us the majority of students want to get our troops out of the Middle East, believe in free and fair education, and are against the sell-off of our universities and services. But the NUS leadership flies in the face of the majority on every one of these most important issues.

Student Respect is once again gearing up to contest the elections for the leadership of the National Union of Students (NUS). We will be standing for all three Vice Presidents, and the part-time executive.

Rob Owen, currently on the NUS executive, will be standing for Vice President Education, and re-standing for the “block of 12” part-time executive.

Hind Hassan, Equalities and Diversity Officer at Leeds University SU, will be standing for Vice President Welfare, and for the part-time executive.

Simon Byrne, a student at Kingston College, will be standing for Vice President Further Education.

The NUS remains an organisation dominated by an unrepresentative right-wing Labour clique. Student Respect represents a breath of fresh fair, of radical student politics, and of the voice of the majority – over issues like war, education and privatisation.

This year, more than ever, a radical left is needed. The New Labour minions want to scrap the notion of NUS being a democratic, campaigning national force. The “governance review” would effectively mean the end of our national union, an end to annual conference as a democratic institution and will ensure the unchallenged domination by the “apolitical” rightwing.

Over the past few weeks we have been discussing with two other organisations on the left in the NUS, the Student Broad Left and Education Not for Sale. It is regrettable that negotiations around forming an electoral slate with these organisations have broken down. However, we still hope that agreement can be reached between us to ensure the maximum possible degree of unity.

Needless to say, on the issue of saving NUS democracy, we will stand side by side with these organisations, and any others who oppose the governance review, and stand for a democratic, campaigning national union.

The NUS conference will take place on the 1 -3 April in Blackpool. To find out more about being a delegate or about our election campaign, email students@respectcoalition.org.

Save NUS democracy

Heading: Save NUS democracy
NUS Zone: Strong and Active Unions

This union believes:
1. Every movement that has won change has combined popular action with grass roots democracy, from the struggle for the vote to the US Civil rights movement
2. That since the early 90’s the NUS leadership has been gradually eroding its democratic structures, centralising power and cutting back on grassroots involvement - moving away from being a campaigning movement on the ground.
3. The democratic structures that remain are under resourced, under prioritised. As a result they often seem complicated and disempowering to new students
4. At last years annual conference a “far ranging review of NUS’ governance” was proposed to solve these problems and present to annual conference.
5. The steering group selected by the national president to conduct the review was not particularly politically broad or diverse.
6. The consultation process itself found it difficult to incorporate a wide range of opinion.
7. The resulting “NUS white paper on NUS governance” was presented to the NUS national executive in two emergency meetings in October reflecting the views of the leading NUS factions.
8. The NUS leadership have included a call for students’ unions to request an undemocratic emergency conference.

This union further believes:
1. That the moves to restrict democracy are an accommodation to the declining democratic involvement in society. With the government pursuing an ideological offensive against the public services, trade unionism and social education we need to expand our grassroots base or face incorporation into the narrow bubble of Westminster debate.
2. The proposed changes will in turn the NUS into a professional Labour lobby group and completely break our link with student activists.
3. The leadership’s vision of NUS is one of highly paid professionals that are part of the policy debate within government and operating within the limits of “mainstream” Westminster opinion.
4. The idea that this can win real change is refuted by the struggle for the vote, the civil rights movement, trade union struggle and every movement through out history that has changed society.
5. That scrapping conference, an elected NEC and a part time exec is scrapping the concept of NUS as a democratic campaigning organisation.
6. The debate around external trustee boards, “best practice” and liability are dishonest and a smoke screen for destroying democratic accountability within the student movement.

This union resolves:
1. To reject the conclusions of the NUS governance review as a dangerous attack on democracy and student rights.
2. To oppose all proposals coming out of the governance review and defend the existing structures.
3. To oppose calls for an undemocratic emergency conference.
4. To mandate our delegation to vote according to this policy at all NUS events.
5. To send this motion to NUS Conference 2008 in the Strong and Active Unions zone and to any emergency conferences where appropriate, changing the word “union” to “conference” in each of the three section headings, deleting point 8 in “this union believes” and points 3, 4 and 5 in “This union resolves”. The proposer of this motion or their proxy will be sent to NUS compositing.

Words: 394 after deletions (502 before deletions)

TRAPPED IN GAZA!

Allow Khaled Mudallal and all other Palestinians to travel.

A Palestinian student urgently trying to get back to Bradford University to start his third year of study, has found him self unable to do so after Israel identified Gaza as "hostile territory" this week, effectively closing it off to the outside world and in the process creating the world’s largest open air prison. Khaled Mudallal, 22, a British-educated business and management student who risks losing his third year if he does not return to Bradford next week, has become its latest inmate. The Israeli human rights organisation Gisha, is presenting a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court arguing that new restrictions which have so far prevented several hundred Palestinian students from Gaza to return to courses abroad is a violation of international law. Khaled must be allowed to return to the UK immediately to continue his studies, and all other Palestinian students studying abroad should be allowed to return to their respective universities. Any delay in Khaled’s and the other Palestinian students return is damaging to their future prospects and thus unacceptable.

http://www.actionpalestine.org/index.html

sign the petition here
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/KhaledMudallal/

also join the facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5119413550&ref=nf

NUS have also set up a website
http://www.letkhaledstudy.co.uk/index.html

Blaming the Victims - gun crime, violence and the Afro-Caribbean community

NUS NEC Notes:
1) The tragic murder of Rhys Jones, shot dead playing football in Liverpool, that follows a spate of shootings in recent months in Liverpool, London, Nottingham and Manchester.
2) Much of the debate and discussion in the media and parliament on crime and violence has revolved around the Afro-Caribbean community, with the use of phrases such as “black on black” crime and “gang warfare” used frequently.
3) That there has also been much talk of the need for “positive role models” in the black community, coupled with the idea that many black families are dysfunctional, with black fathers in particular being part of the problem.
4) Figures such as black businessmen, politicians and now army officers have been promoted as an example for black youngsters to try and emulate.
5) The recent Reach report into “raising the aspirations and attainment of black boys and young black men” focuses heavily on individual psychology of black teenagers without looker at wider issues – “racism” is mention just five times in the 85 page report.

NUS NEC Believes:
1) That black teenagers are the victims of this situation and not the perpetrators – the average age of black Londoners murdered by a gun is 19 and the average age of black Londoners charged with murder using a gun is also 19.
2) The current “solutions” and suggestions ignore the real roots of the real problems faced by black young people, and the idea that military officers can help counter violence in communities is laughable.
3) It is poverty, deprivation and lack of opportunities, all of which are fuelled by racism, which are at the heart of the problem. Afro-Caribbeans are more likely to live in poverty, be targeted by the police, be victims of crime, and be discriminated against in the job market.
4) Black children are also disproportionately affected by exclusions from schools and colleges.
5) Racism, as well as being the root cause of the problem, is also behind supposed government “solutions” – the idea that black children have more dysfunctional families and inherent problems with their culture is disgraceful. Terms such as “white on white” crime are never used, implying that the race of a criminal is only important when they are black.
6) NUS has a proud history of opposing the rightwing concept of “blaming the victim” and demonising the poorest in our society.
7) Initiatives like “Tell It Like Is”, a campaign based around a book addressing the root causes of the problems black children face in education, and the NUT’s recent initiative around black boys in education are campaigns that look at the real problems being faced by the Afro-Caribbean community without pandering to the racism prevalent in the media and rhetoric of politicians.

NUS Resolves:
1) To release the following statement to the press:
“NUS expresses our sympathy with the families and communities torn apart by violence and gun crime. It is tragic that we live in such a violent world and that violence has found so destructive a presence in our communities. Crime is so often a result of people falling out of society through poverty, racism and desperate personal circumstances. The current drive in the media and government is to further criminalise communities and youth and ignore the real problems of poverty, deprivation and racism.
NUS believes that the only way to end gun crime is by pulling communities out of poverty and creating a more equal and just society. The government has made a lot of noise about being “tough on crime” but done very little to tackle the root causes of poverty, inequality and racism. We call on all progressive individuals and organizations to add their names to the call for a real debate on ending poverty and racism to tackle gun crime.”
2) For the NUS Vice-Presidents of FE and Welfare to work with NEC member Rob Owen to work on a campaign to launch in FE colleges (that include the age group most affected by these issues) around these issues.
3) To organise joint meetings with trade unions such as the NUT and UCU around these issues, including “Tell It Like It Is” meetings, in FE colleges to address the issues, raise awareness about the real problems and to campaign both for the kind of equality that can eradicate crime, and against the current climate of racist demonistaion and scapegoating.

Assed Baig for NUS Black Students' Officer

Student Respect member, Assed Baig, will be standing for NUS national Black Students Officer at the conference next May.

Assed is a committed activist both around his local community in Alum Rock, Birmingham and at Staffordshire University where he sits on the students’ union executive committee. At this year’s NUS conference he stood as Student Respect’s candidate for National Secretary and achieved our best ever vote at national conference. And at this year’s Black Students Conference he was elected to the Black Students Committee with the highest vote for the “open rep” position.

“My recent campaigning priorities have included Stop the War activity, and campaigning against Islamophobia and racism – but I see a link between these issues”, says Assed.

“The war, in addition to the destruction of the Middle East, has created an increase in racism back home as politicians have tried to scapegoat minorities. But there are many other important issues too – I was at the Heathrow Climate Camp recently. The results of climate change are going to disproportionately affect poorer countries, as is the fight to grab the world’s resources in the interests of profit”.

“Part of my vision for the Black Students Campaign involves a massive increase of our activist base, in addition to building closer links with existing student groups such as Stop the War coalition societies, anti-racism groups and other important campaigns. Crucially, we need more activists and more radical action”.

The Black Students Conference will be held on 17–18 May. Student Respect activists and supporters should be getting themselves delegated and talking to other delegates about Assed’s candidature. More information and publicity will be available soon, or contact students@respectcoalition for more information.

National Organising Meetings

With the start of the student year just weeks away hundreds of student activists will be coming to London to discuss the politics of the movement and how we can organise to stop the war and build a society based on equality, justice and respect.

National Stop the War Student meeting
With Tony Benn and Gemma Tumelty (NUS President)
8th September SOAS Students Union
11am-3pm
More details on the NUS website.

Student RESPECT national activist meeting.
With John Rees National Secretary of the Respect Coalition
2pm Sunday 9th September central london
venue tbc
Open to all members and supporters email students@respectcoalition.org to register