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PortugueseNUS president Malia Bouattia, notorious for her anti-Semitic opinions, lost the elections and will step down.
Malia Bouattia, elected president of the National Union of Students (NUS) in the UK a year ago and notorious for her anti-Semitic opinions, lost this year’s election to Shakira Martin.
Martin received 402 votes, while Bouattia received only 272 votes.
In a statement, The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) extended its “heartfelt congratulations” to Martin.
“In particular, Shakira’s election demonstrates a rejection of the divisive rhetoric used by the current President, Malia Bouattia, whose past anti-Semitic comments have remained problematic for Jewish students for over a year,” the statement said.
“The overwhelming majority of Jewish students across the UK will be grateful that NUS will soon be led once again by a capable leader, who is genuinely committed to ensuring that the student movement stands up for all its members,” the UJS said.
Martin visited Poland with the UJS ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day this year.
The UJS said it was looking forward to seeing Martin “continue to prioritize the interests and welfare of Jewish students amongst all students as NUS National President. We wish her the very best in her new role.”
Bouattita, who is of Algerian origin, generated much angst and uproar during her presidency because of her anti-Israel and anti-Semitic opinions. She was found guilty of misconduct after a 2015 internal investigation into anti-Semitic comments she made during a speech.
She rejected the allegations of anti-Semitism, but said her anti-Zionist stand was legitimate.
Top universities, including Cambridge and Oxford, threatened to cut their ties with the NSU after her election.
NUS represents 600 student organizations and more than 7 million student voices across the UK.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
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