The National Union of Students (NUS) is to open itself up to an independent investigation into allegations of antisemitism after a wave of complaints from Jewish students and interventions from former NUS presidents and senior political figures.
The announcement was made after a crisis meeting on Wednesday of the NUS board, which issued a statement reiterating there could be no place for antisemitism within the student movement and promising to address any wrongdoing.
“We are listening to the concerns being raised and we’re very concerned about the pain and hurt being expressed,” the statement said.
“We will take any and all actions that are needed to remedy any wrongdoing and rebuild trust with Jewish students, as well as our members, partners and stakeholders.”
The announcement came after more than 20 former NUS presidents, including three former cabinet ministers, sent an unprecedented private warning to the organisation’s trustees, urging them to address concerns from Jewish students.
Among those who signed the letter, leaked to the Guardian, were the former cabinet ministers Jack Straw, Charles Clarke and Jim Murphy, the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, and Labour peer Maeve Sherlock. “This is not just a matter of protecting NUS’s reputation, but honouring NUS’s proud anti-racist principles,” the letter said.
The NUS said the investigation would cover all public allegations made about the NUS and its president-elect, Shaima Dallali, over the past two months – in particular, the decision to invite the rapper Lowkey to one of its events, as well as allegations of a wider culture of antisemitism within its ranks.
“In relation to the president-elect, the independent investigation will look into a range of comments and actions that are alleged to have taken place over the last decade,” the NUS said.
Complaints have been made by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) about comments by Dallali on social media, including a post from when she was a young teenager, which read: “Khaybar Khaybar O Jews … Muhammad’s army will return Gaza,” referencing an AD628 massacre. She has since apologised for the post.
In addition to the independent investigation, the NUS promised to meet regularly with the UJS to “hear concerns, receive input, and explore how we move forward together from here”.
“We will be appointing a highly regarded independent party to undertake the investigation and we will be consulting with the UJS in making the appointment,” the NUS said. “Whoever is appointed must have the confidence of Jewish students.”
The NUS added that it had adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in 2018 and that, in the recent past, it had acted on antisemitism, removing a member of the national council in 2018 and removing an election candidate in 2019 in line with policies on antisemitism.
The chair of the Commons education committee, Robert Halfon, has called for the NUS to be investigated by the Charity Commission over the allegations. The NUS responded that it was not a charity and therefore not subject to such an investigation. “However, NUS willingly holds itself to the highest standards,” it added.
Last week, the higher education minister, Michelle Donelan, warned that the government could suspend engagement with the union over the allegations. Donelan also called on student unions across the country to “consider disaffiliation, unless matters improve quickly”.
The NUS responded: “We hope that this will not happen and that colleagues in government will be satisfied that we are taking swift and appropriate action to address the allegations.”