EXCLUSIVE: student unions across the UK are threatening to disaffiliate from the NUS over Israel

In an open letter addressed to the National Union of Students (NUS) Board of Directors, more than 180 elected sabbatical officers and student groups representing 52 campuses across the country have issued an ultimatum- take meaningful action on Gaza or face mass disaffiliation. They say:

An organisation that refuses to stand with students in the struggle for justice cannot claim to represent us.

The students’ letter, obtained by the Canary, describes Israel’s assault on Gaza as ‘the systematic destruction of a people’, and calls out the NUS’ refusal to acknowledge the crisis as a genocide, accusing it of ‘adopting a posture of neutrality’ that sanitizes mass atrocities and shields the oppressor.

The letter also points to the NUS’ long history of opposing apartheid in South Africa and asks: where is that same moral clarity now? Despite claiming to uphold values of anti-racism, solidarity and freedom of expression, the students also say the NUS has become complicit in the repression of Palestine solidarity on campus.

The NUS under fire over Gaza

The following are a few of the signatories to the letter, who gave their comments to the Canary:

Antonia Listrat, Guild President at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students:

I want a national student movement that is anti-racist, and that represents historically excluded groups. NUS has completely lost touch with the liberation movement and the students they are supposed to represent. Silence is complicity, and the genocide in Palestine has exposed the Islamophobia and institutional anti-Palestinian racism within our national union. I am one of the UOB2 students, and have faced targeted abuse and harassment based on my anti-Zionist advocacy. I believe NUS have facilitated the environment where we are no longer safe as principled anti-racist advocates. It is beyond the point of holding NUS to account, but we must, or we will push for disaffiliation.

Hasnain Jafer, Vice President Education at King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU):

NUS have historically rejected the voices of Muslim students, and we have seen this reality is still true today. Since the NUS capitulated to the witch hunt of anti-Zionist Muslim President Shaima Dallali, the anti-Zionist student movement-particularly Muslim officers-have not been safe-not in the NUS, nor in the student unions more widely. NUS must be held to account, or we will take the necessary steps to leave.

The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) says:

FOSIS signed this letter and sent its own letter because the National Union of Students has, time and again, failed in its duty of care towards Muslim students. From the removal of Shaima Dallali to its deafening silence on the genocide in Gaza, the NUS has shown a devastating lack of moral clarity and institutional accountability. Its inaction has not only betrayed the trust of Muslim students — it has actively contributed to their marginalisation.

The NUS claims to defend students’ rights, yet it has remained silent as Muslim and pro-Palestinian students face threats, censorship, and Islamophobic smears for standing up for justice. At a time when student voices are being silenced for speaking out against genocide, we expected leadership. Instead, we got complicity. FOSIS signed because we will not allow our communities to be gaslit, sidelined, or treated as disposable.

We are demanding that the NUS return to its founding values — of justice, solidarity, and representation for all students — not just the convenient or palatable ones. This is not just about Palestine. This is about whether Muslim students are ever going to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect within national student spaces again. We will not stop speaking until that answer is yes.

Elliot Briffa, City and Community Officer at the University of Manchester Student’s Union:

I support this letter because students deserve a union that defends our rights, amplifies the voices of the oppressed, and takes a clear stance against all forms of racism. The NUS has turned its back on its core principles, and its refusal to act on Palestine reveals the institutional bias and Islamophobia it harbours.

Campus crackdown

Across UK universities, pro-Palestinian students are facing mounting repression. Many report being subjected to disciplinary procedures, suspension, or expulsion simply for criticising Israel or protesting about its actions. Others have been smeared as terrorist sympathisers, often through the misuse of the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism, which conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. In one of the most prominent cases, former NUS president Shaima Dallali was ousted in 2022 after facing a sustained campaign of pressure over her pro-Palestinian stance, a move the students now say has encouraged universities to punish Palestine activists more broadly.

From King’s College London to SOAS, Essex to UCL, dozens of student activists have since faced sanctions, threats, and legal intimidation for calling out Israel’s crimes. The letter does not just highlight these attacks, but describes them as a coordinated campaign of censorship, racialised targeting, and silencing of student dissent.

The IHRA problem

The NUS’ endorsement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, is at the centre of the student movement’s frustration. Adopted by the NUS in 2017, this definition has been widely criticised by academics, human rights bodies, and even one of its own original authors for equating legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

In the letter, the students argue that its continued use allows for the criminalisation of Palestine solidarity-particularly targeting Muslims, racialised students, and those with anti-Zionist beliefs, and violates basic principles of freedom of expression and academic freedom, pointing out that even the Office for Students has issued guidance warning universities against foreign-linked censorship agreements — an indirect reference to pressures exerted by pro-Israel lobbies.

Eight demands of, and an ultimatum to, the NUS

The open letter outlines a clear set of demands to the NUS:

• Recognise the assault on Gaza as a “plausible genocide”
• Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire
• Condemn Israeli apartheid and occupation in line with international law
• Rescind the IHRA definition
• Lead a national ethical divestment campaign
• Defend students’ right to protest, including against Zionism
• Investigate Islamophobia and anti-Black racism within NUS structures
• Disclose any institutional ties to regimes complicit in apartheid and genocide

The students also demand that NUS conduct a risk assessment and transparency review into whether any elected officials or student groups are financially or institutionally linked to settler-colonial regimes — aligning with new requirements under the UK’s Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

If the NUS fails to urgently meet these demands in full, the students say they will begin the process of disaffiliating their unions from the national body.

The Canary approached the NUS for comment but it did not respond to our requests.

Despite the threats, Palestine solidarity is flourishing throughout our universities

This shows that even student-led democratic institutions, such as the NUS, are not immune from the broader climate of pro-Palestine repression. But despite the threats and disciplinary actions, students are fighting back and Palestine solidarity continues to grow across UK campuses. At the end of the letter, the students invoke the words of Nelson Mandela, who was once the NUS’ Honorary Vice President:

Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

Featured image via the Canary