NUS refuses to work with advocacy group Cage

The president of the National Union of Students (NUS), Megan Dunn, has ruled out co-operating with Cage, a controversial advocacy group that campaigns against government policies developed as part of the ongoing War on Terror.

Among its work, Cage has provided advice and support for Mohammed Emwazi, the ISIS militant responsible for beheading at least eight people.

At a conference in April, NUS announced their decision to oppose the government’s PREVENT strategy – which aims to counter extremism – on the grounds that the legislation includes intrusive new measures that pose a “significant threat to civil liberties and freedom of speech on campus”.

Included in the motion was the pledge to work alongside civil liberties groups including Cage to oppose the legislation. 

However, the NUS came under sustained attack from the government and elements of the media with regards to their relationship with Cage.

“The NUS will not be working with Cage and there will be no NUS resources used to work with Cage”

Prime Minister David Cameron said, “When you choose to ally yourselves with an organisation like Cage, which called Jihadi John a ‘beautiful young man’… it really does, in my opinion, shame your organisation and your noble history of campaigning for justice”.

In response, Cage has said that it “does not support terrorism in any form”.

Miss Dunn, in clarifying the position of the NUS, insists, “I will not work with Cage. The NUS will not be working with Cage and there will be no NUS resources used to work with Cage”.

In explaining why the NUS will not collaborate with Cage, Miss Dunn said that it would not be compatible with the NUS’s policies on “anti-racism, anti-fascism and how we define antisemitism”.

“The NUS are paid to represent students – they should do their research before allying themselves with political groups”

The NUS has, however, remained firm in its opposition to the Government’s anti-terror legislation, with an NUS officer insisting that the legislation “ultimately exists to police Muslim expression”.

Third year Classics student Tom Ingram described government attempts to tackle extremism on campus as “tactless and draconian”.

Joshua Watson, a third year Politics student, insists that “the NUS are paid to represent students, they should do their research before allying themselves with political groups”.

Daniel Adejumo

Image: Rob Wells via Flickr

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