NUS disaffiliation

Goldsmiths Students’ Union disaffiliation from the National Union of Students

This Union Notes

1. That the entity known as the National Union of Students comprises two constituent organisations: NUS Charity and NUS UK

2. That Goldsmiths Students’ Union pays in the region of £25,000 in fees yearly towards membership and other costs for NUS – 2.5% of the block grant received from the University. This figure does not include the additional costs of travel, accommodation, and entrance fees associated with NUS events, nor the ad-hoc procurement of additional services.

3. That In 2024, the National Union of Students settled with former president Shaima Dallali for an undisclosed amount, and in a joint statement the NUS conceded ‘NUS accepts that pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist beliefs may be protected beliefs, as may pro-Zionist beliefs. As a private individual Ms Dallali is, and as President of NUS she was, entitled to hold protected beliefs.’1

4. That National Union of Students Articles of Association state that a member students’ union may terminate membership ‘if they give written notice to the Directors before 1 July in the year in which they wish to withdraw from membership, this notice to take effect on 31 December of that year’.2

5. That both National Union of Students UK and National Union of Students charity were involved in the response to the ‘Not My NUS’ open letter that sought to restrict participation in NUS events for signatories. 3

This Union Believes

1. That the legitimacy of the National Union of Students is undermined by their conduct to remove democratic processes such as delegate conferences, reduce the number of mechanisms, and reorient the organisation towards a managerial mode of governance4, that these interventions is at odds with the purpose that such an organisation that ought to uphold, of radical confrontation and protest.

2. That the action taken by the National Union of Students Charity to unilaterally change their governing documents to place restrictions on member Students’ Unions ability to disaffiliate without a member vote5 is an undemocratic move that is incongruent with the ostensible values of the NUS, and prevents members and students from meaningfully effecting the policy positions of the NUS.

3. That it is wholly inappropriate, under any circumstances, for unelected members of staff, be they employed by the National Union of Students or member Students’ Unions, to intervene, intimidate, threaten, or coerce elected officers or student members to change their position on matters that are within the remit of legitimate representational activities or debate6.

4. That the above is compounded by the subject matter; that suppression of pro Palestinian or anti-Zionist beliefs is immoral and not congruent with principles of free expression, particularly at a time where a Genocide was being committed against the Palestinian people, such suppression had a chilling effect on the ability of members to voice objections to the Genocide. That as stated above, the National Union ofStudents’ acknowledges itself that these are currently protected philosophical beliefs under the Equality Act 2010 and the European Convention of Human Rights.

5. That spurious and frivolous allegations of antisemitism have been instrumentalised in an attempt to restrict freedom of expression of pro-Palestinian or anti-Zionist positions, including by the National Union of Students.

6. The National Union of Students’ only statement that expressed a mild criticism of the Israeli genocide in Gaza was in August 2025 7 in response to pressure caused by direct action from students8, that the statement afforded more paragraphs to condemn the actions of Palestinians than Israelis, and afforded a false equivalence between Israel and Palestine that wilfully and negligently conflates the colonial history of dispossession conducted for the creation and maintenance of the former at the expense of the latter.

7. That the National Union of Students maintains support for organisations such as the Union of Jewish Students9 with ties to Israel10 and Solutions not Sides11 that aim to normalise the existence of Israeli violence12. That continued engagement with such organisations seek to lauder the reputation of the settler colonial Israeli regime, and that such connections concretise value-neutral positions that delegitimise anti Zionism.

8. That a majority of 18-24 year olds in the United Kingdom state that they harbour more sympathies with the Palestinian cause than the Israeli cause13, with over 65% supporting Palestinian statehood14; thus while support for Palestine is an anti-imperial and anti-racist endeavour not to be guided by popular opinion alone, the widespread support for the cause underscores the imperative to offer a meaningful voice to students in denouncing the Genocide and calling unequivocally for Palestinian self determination.

9. That, in contrast to its member students’ unions including Goldsmiths Students’ Union, NUS UK is not a registered Charity and thus is not constrained by restrictions on undertaking political activity. Yet despite this freedom, it has not meaningfully used this to campaign on ending the Genocide in Gaza, nor has it undertaken any meaningful campaigning on the abolition of student fees.

10. That it is illegitimate for an organisation such as the National Union of Students to police the tone and content of student-led interventions.

11. In light of the above, there is a moral imperative for Goldsmiths Students’ Union to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students, and to do so would not compromise the Goldsmiths Students’ Union ability to represent students locally, nor would it impede collaboration with other Students’ Unions or groups on campaigns that effect multiple Higher Education institutions.

12. That association with the National Union of Students breaches the PACBI academic boycott guidelines15.

13. That association with the National Union of Students breaches Goldsmiths Students’ Unions own Environmental, Social, and Governance policy16.

14. That the National Union of Students does not have the confidence of students at this University to be the representational body for Higher Education students in the UK.

This Union resolves

1. To initiate, at the earliest opportunity, a referendum on the question ‘Should Goldsmiths Students’ Union disaffiliate from both organisations comprising the National Union of Students (namely National Union of Students UK and National Union of Students Chairty) with no undue delay?’ in accordance with Goldsmiths Students’ Union’s Constitution and Bye-Laws

2. To institute an internal policy preventing Goldsmiths Students’ Union, or any employee of Goldsmiths Students’ Union from entering into a substantial business relationship with the National Union of Students without first consulting the entire membership on the matter

3. To mandate that Goldsmiths Students’ Union does not rejoin any National organisation without first putting a proposal to all eligible members in a referendum in accordance with the Union’s constitution.

4. To endeavour to reallocate the funds saved from the National Union of Students to ensure the wages of students employed by Goldsmiths Students’ Union are at or above London Living Wage.

Proposer: Luca Di Mambro-Moor

Seconder: Fiona Mant