News / UWE Bristol
UWE Bristol student president suspended
The students’ union president at UWE Bristol has been suspended following comments he made against a candidate in an election last year.
Writing in a WhatsApp group, Zain Choudhry urged members to not vote for a candidate because he was a “very Zionist type person”.
Choudhry alleged that the candidate in question for the democratic procedures committee, William Bates, “pushes for Israel flags to be put up outside of the SU and wants to end the BDS campaign. William is currently the most likely to win, and we cannot tolerate his type of behaviour.”
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It is against UWE rules for a serving president to attempt to influence the outcome of a vote for a union position, and when the messages came to light the election was cancelled.
In a statement, UWE Students’ Union said: “Following an internal investigation and disciplinary process, The Students’ Union has concluded that there was a breach of its internal rules and regulations by Zain Choudhry, The Students’ Union President, which concerned a post made during an election process.
“As a result, the President will undergo one month’s suspension, as well as undertaking additional training.”
Some students remain concerned, however, that Choudhry has been disciplined for the content of his comments rather than the fact he broke campaigning rules.
Quoted in The Jewish Chronicle, Bates – who in the re-run of the election lost out in second round voting – said: “I feel that a one-month suspension is an appropriate sanction for his breach of electoral rules.
“However, I think the fact that the content of the ‘anti-Zionist’ comments has not been addressed is concerning.”
In a post on Facebook, Choudhry said he would be using the time away from the union to “read many books and resume grassroots level activism”.
A UWE Bristol spokeswoman said: “This investigation and the subsequent disciplinary decision made has been led by the Students’ Union and therefore it would not be appropriate for the University to comment further on the matter.”
Main photo from Twitter
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