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Breaking the bonds of slavery

On Wednesday the 15th of October 2008, SOAS ACS, supported by AA-CYSA and www.minoritystudents.co.uk's "Enough is Enough" campaign, and a few members of the community, won a historic and unprecedented victory on behalf of Afrikan youth, their communities and all those opposed to racism and injustice of any kind. (The term Afrikan refers to all "black" peoples, regardless of complexion, skin tone, religion or location. It is an inclusive term, not exclusive to people with darker skin, but applicable to all those who over-stand and honour our common Afrikan Ancestry. It applies to all those who self-define as Afrikan, and is used, by us, for the purposes of uniting our Afrikan peoples and in breaking the divisive bonds necessary to maintain the evils of our enslavement and compelled servitude). As you may, or may not be aware, due to the lack of Political leadership within the NUS, especially when it comes to tackling racism, recent hate crimes committed against Afrikan peoples at NUS training events have been very much concealed under a veil of secrecy. This approach towards the legitimate concerns of Afrikan students was a well planned, co-ordinated and executed wall of silence through cynical statements, a silence which was forcibly and decisively broken on this day.

Following on from the historic motion passed at SOAS' first UGM (the Unions democratic policy forming body) of the Academic year 08/09, calling for Wes Streeting's "IMMEDIATE resignation" over his handling and participation in these incidents of racism. They prevented a further mockery being made, not only of Afrikan youth and students, their communities, and their ongoing oppression, but in fact, the Unions very own democratic processes itself.

At this point, it is important and necessary to remember and note that, despite neo-liberal attempts to vilify and outlaw protest, dissent, civil disobedience, and those who exercise their democratic duty to take such action, (especially with recent social trends revealing a covert thrust, once again, towards terror, inflicted by the state upon human beings duped, through their apathy, into living under the tyranny of yet another Fascist Police State), informed protest and dissent are an essential hallmark of any true democracy at work. Tactics, not far off from the tactics used by the avowed enemies of democracy historically to attempt to silence and dismiss the demands of the masses, were now turned against students. Protesters were faced with intimidation, attempted ejections and threats of Police (State) intervention from Union Sabbaticals whose role, amongst other things, is to implement Union policy.

This was done despite the fact that, in implementing this lawful and peaceful protest, these students were in fact executing Union policy, whose precedent, all Union activities, including public and private meetings, must be in accordance with. This meeting clearly was not, therefore, the question to bear is not why Afrikan students were protesting against this man's invitation to speak on campus, whenever it was arranged. In fact, SOAS Students Union itself and the Officers who took part in these undemocratic and unconstitutional activities, must themselves explain to Afrikan students, and the student body as a whole, Why they abused their offices, in attempting to supersede the Unions Democratically passed policy, with their own personal agendas? In the face of this undemocratic intimidation, demonstrators stood in solidarity and chanted to the beating of Afrikan drums, "Slavery is no joke; Wes Streeting's got to go", disrupting the attempts to further disregard and thus disrespect the legitimate concerns of Afrikan students.

By bringing this man, whom their Union has already democratically decided to stand in solidarity against, (by demanding that he should have resigned 2 weeks ago due to his unacceptable political leadership in matters regarding racism), to have a platform, in "Black History month," (although the meeting, admittedly was arranged before the motion was passed, the options available within Union policy were to cancel the meeting or to allow the protest to continue as it was in accordance with, and supporting current Union policy) not about why he has failed "Black" students and how he can repair the damage he has done, but about whether a free education is still worth fighting for, is shockingly callous or at best, is yet another example of the recurring Afriphobic insensitivity towards Afrikan concerns! Of course free education is worth fighting for! But so are freedom, respect and autonomy.

Some unsympathetic ears present in the audience, were visibly riled by the demonstrators' daring and persistence. People like SOAS' Anti-Racism Officer, who disgracefully, in front of the faces of the Afrikan students who were protesting from his University, students whom he is supposed to support, represent, advocate and protect, arrogantly and abominably slowly tore up one of their leaflets detailing the reasons why they were protesting. As a result of his dereliction of duty, the students present took further decisive action. With the disposition of fighting injustice fervent in the atmosphere, they now demanded his immediate resignation and started the necessary petition (having admirably nearly achieved the required quota upon disbanding) to force an EGM where he might be removed. His repulsive pretext for this audacious display of racism, when challenged about his conduct by students who were demonstrating, was that "I wanted to hear what they (the all white panel) had to say"!

The demonstrators, after being threatened, bullied, harassed, intimidated and antagonised, stood firm. The courage and persistence of these few determined activists, won a historic victory for Afrikan youth and students throughout the World, and for all those who advocate the politics of enforcing democracy, through unity, within the grass roots. Similar to the historic "civil-rights" movement towards freedom of the 1950's and 60's, led by Martin Luther King Jr. and others. And more recently, the courageous struggles led by Afrikan youth and students in the slums of Soweto, for education, and against Apartheid. Ordinary students, normally disengaged, some might say purposefully, from an important and influential political process, democratically exercised their freedom to demonstrate against incompetence and injustice and the proposed meeting was abandoned. However, as I have shown in the previous paragraphs, extraordinarily, their Political astuteness and tenacity was not circumscribed to that historic achievement. In fact, if anything, that feat was a quintessence of, and precursor to, the unprecedented accomplishments that have, and are yet to transpire.

Rukayah, SOAS' Black Students Officer elect showed what is so desperately lacking, yet rapidly growing within the Afrikan Youth and Student movements. The qualities of sincere and effective leadership, and with the others present, they exercised their democratic rights to hold their representatives to account by demanding that if, however, any meeting at SOAS with Wes Streeting was to take place, the first issue that must be addressed was the one of racism at hand. So that is what the brief meeting that eventually did take place did their best to address! They forced a long awaited and well overdue audience with Wes Streeting about a few of the many, many issues, he and the NUS have been discerned to have been attempting to elude. In all fairness to Wes Streeting himself, he must be commended for the fact that he did not run screaming out of the room, he at least stayed to hear some of the criticisms levelled at him. And recognising the inappropriate nature of the platform at hand (due to the lack of suitable preceding publicity necessary for widening participation), he conceded to return to SOAS. Agreeing to return for a meeting demanded and hosted by students at SOAS, and attended by Afrikan student and community leaders to mark the closing of "Black History Month", by at least attempting to address the concerns raised about the inadequacies of his political and representative leadership, and the sincerity of his anti-racism rhetoric. He will, at last, truly face the concerns raised democratically by those students who voted for his resignation at the last UGM, and by the brave Afrikan students and their supporters who, against the odds, demonstrated for, and demanded representative accountability successfully and to all those who endorse and aid their just cause.

The Afrikan truth of racism, slavery and their legacies are yet to be told, as the Afrikan peoples of this world are, unfortunately, yet to truly fully break free and escape from the chains of their bondage. For upon their minds and upon their psyche, those chains of servitude and enslavement firmly remain. The debate about fees for Higher Education affects directly the majority of Afrikan students in the UK so naturally this is an important issue to them. But, what Wes Streeting, and too many other, liberal, left-wing and/or conservative political figures than I have space nor time to mention, clearly, for some reason seem neither to care nor understand is this.

For the descendants of chattel slaves, the descendants of their families from whom they were stolen, and for those victims of Imperialist Colonialism and all those whom detest the decadence and savagery these things I represent. For those who are of sound mind and aware of these travesties that have taken place under his Political leadership; terminating the outrage of the NUS' use as a platform to commit heinous acts of cruel and vindictive racism, a priority, and his and others failure to understand and acknowledge the severity of these matters is a clear example of Gross negligence (at best) and his actions, (or failure to act decisively) have clearly brought our Union, the NUS, into disrepute. It is entirely unscrupulous and disreputable for any organisation, that any Officer, acting in his official capacity, propose that Afrikan students, or any other for that matter, are undesirables, or that the, historically recorded evil, Criminal and appallingly Genocidal chattel enslavement, rape, mutilation and torture of Afrikan peoples be reprehensibly reinstated, with effective impunity (sorry, more equal ops training). Especially, whilst at the same time, the NUS and its Exec are spouting the archetypal, self-gratifying, anti-racism (but I have a black friend, but I donate x amount every month to x charity to feed those poor starving kids in Africa, we came to civilise you, you should be grateful, or we'll stop sending you bribes (sorry aid), until we overthrow and replace you, etc.) rhetoric ,that now epitomises the depraved corruption, dishonesty and hypocrisy of the Worlds International Bankers and Imperialist powers. For the victims of their aggression, the issue of their enslavement is NOT, as an exec member stated, "equally important as free education"; it is justifiably, far, far more.

What kind of education could you hope for when you are systematically marginalised and excluded from social affluence? Or when your history and cultures have been forcibly debased, demonised, and seized? What type of education will you receive, if you have been reduced to servitude as another man's property, a chattel slave?

This Statement has been issued by the Enough is Enough Campaign Press office, on behalf of; SOAS ACS, SOAS Black Students Officer (Rukayah Sarumi), www.minoritystudents.co.uk, and AA-CYSA.

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