The head of the U.K. National Union of Students (NUS) suggested that the government’s cuts in the education realm “could be to blame for a rise in young people joining terror groups in Syria.”
During a June debate at University College London (which apparently did not get much attention here in the U.S.), Malia Bouattia added that the current political climate – things like high unemployment, education privatization, and the closing of youth centers – leads to folks taking “certain actions and joining these groups and wanting to inflict violence.”
“Every service available to support young people to allow space for critical thought and development has been shut down by the state,” she said.
Other student leaders blasted Bouattia’s comments:
Gray Sergeant, national organiser at Student Rights – a group that tackles on-campus extremism – said her remarks “misunderstand the problem.”
Jack May – one of the leaders behind Cambridge University’s campaign to disaffiliate from NUS – told the Independent Ms Bouattia’s comments show “just how out of touch she is with the real world.”
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Adding how it’s “a shame” many universities across the nation have decided not to disaffiliate from NUS, he said: “If she keeps making headlines in such a damaging way, it may not be too long before many campuses think again.”
Students’ unions (SUs) across the country have been carrying out referendums on whether to break away from the NUS after the election of Ms Bouattia, and an overall controversial National Conference – in April.
Ms Bouattia’s election campaign was hit with allegations of anti-Semitism in the days running up to her being chosen as leader. She has always strongly denied all allegations made against her.
Bouattia drew controversy two years ago when she voiced concerns that criticism of ISIS “ha[d] become a justification for war and blatant Islamaphobia.”
The NUS encompasses 600 student unions in the UK and claims it “champions students to shape the future of education” in part by “fight[ing] discrimination, isolation and injustice.”
h/t Walter Olson
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