NUS president posts video apology after Judaism omitted from student form
Shakira Martin issues heartfelt message on social media after a questionnaire asking students' religion has glaring oversight
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
The president of the National Union of Students, Shakira Martin, has issued a heartfelt apology to Jewish students and a promise to “fix it” after a questionnaire was sent from NUS asking students’ religion — and on which Judaism did not appear.
Ms Martin, who won the presidency last year in a landslide victory over Malia Bouattia, a self-confessed opponent of Zionism, took to video to make her apology because she said her Twitter feed had “blown up” after angry Jewish students complained about the list.
Ms Martin said she was particularly angry at having to apologise for the omission of Judaism on the list because it was the second time it had happened — and she had apologised previously.
She said she wanted to reassure Jewish students that she was making the eradication of antisemitism and racism a priority of her presidency, and could only imagine how upset the Jewish community had been at seeing Judaism excluded from the list.
Via Tom Harwood on Twitter (@tomhfh)
She acknowledged that she did not know the history of “every piece of paper” issued by NUS, but also said that had she been able to withdraw the link herself, she would have done. “Actions speak louder than words”, she said repeatedly during her video apology, and said that neither she nor national politicians should be afraid to express regret when they had plainly got things wrong.
Izzy Lenga, who is NUS vice president for welfare, had said she would be complaining about the omission on Friday. She said she had been unable to sleep because she was so angry. But after Ms Martin’s video was released, Ms Lenga sent out a tweet applauding “My president”.
Ms Martin insisted that the omission would not happen again and told Jewish students that there was an important place for them within NUS.
You can watch her video apology here:
A message from me to all Jewish Students https://t.co/oDob2AQ7Y5
— Shakira Martin (@ShakiraSweet1) January 5, 2018
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
