King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU) is preparing to hold a referendum on withdrawing from the National Union of Students (NUS), citing concerns over freedom of expression and dissatisfaction with the NUS’s stance on the Gaza conflict. The move comes amid a broader national contestation involving student unions and their positions on the Israel-Palestine dispute.
KCLSU's Referendum Plans for NUS Withdrawal
As reported by Roar News on 28 September 2025, all six KCLSU
sabbatical officers have agreed in principle on the decision to leave the NUS,
with plans underway to hold a student-wide referendum this term to decide the
union’s future affiliation. Sources close to KCLSU indicate that the referendum
aims to lend greater legitimacy than a trustee board decision would provide.
The motivation behind the proposed disaffiliation revolves
around freedom of expression concerns and claims that NUS funds are poorly spent.
Baiyu Liu, the KCLSU President, has expressed support for holding this
referendum, which—if passed—would see KCLSU become the third founding member to
abandon the NUS following Imperial College Union in 2008 and Birkbeck Students’
Union in 2023.
The referendum takes place in the context of a wider
national dispute, with sabbatical officers from various universities accusing
the NUS of threatening its own membership after disagreements over the union’s
position on the Gaza conflict escalated into a public feud. A new coalition
group named "Not My NUS," including KCLSU’s Vice President Education
(Health) Hasnain Jafer, advocates for mass student union withdrawals, demanding
the NUS rescind the IHRA definition of antisemitism and condemn Israeli
apartheid and occupation.
Suspension of KCLSU Officers Over Gaza Reaction
Earlier, in December 2023, KCLSU suspended three student
officers—Hassan Ali (Vice President of Welfare and Community), Sadaf Abbas
Cheema (Vice President for Education in the Arts and Sciences), and Alizeh
Abrar (Vice President for Postgraduate Students)—after they released a
statement on Instagram showing solidarity with Palestine and calling for a
ceasefire in Gaza. This action sparked controversy and was widely reported by
Middle East Eye.
The suspended officers claimed they faced “verbal threats”
from senior union management and described the administration’s actions as
“scare tactics" aimed at forcing them to remove their statement. They also
criticised the leadership for disregarding the mental health challenges faced
by elected student representatives during Islamophobia Awareness Month.
Anonymous KCLSU staff reportedly described the officers as
being “singled out” and “excluded” by management for their advocacy for
Palestinian rights, while accusing the union of hypocrisy for supporting
Ukrainian and Russian students despite remaining silent on Gaza. The King’s
College London Students for Justice in Palestine (KCL SJP) society publicly
condemned the suspensions and accused the union leadership of intimidation
tactics.
Student and Staff Solidarity Movements
Alongside these controversies, several pro-Palestine student
initiatives have been active on campus. The KCL SJP group campaigns against the
university’s financial and institutional complicity in what they describe as
Israeli occupation and apartheid. After an Israeli strike killed former KCL
student and Chevening scholar Dr Maisara al-Rayyes, who was trapped under
rubble in Gaza, the university paid tribute to him and planned a memorial.
The University and academic staff also participated in
protests and encampments demanding King’s College London divest from
corporations involved with Israeli arms and condemn Israeli actions in
Palestine. The University and the University and College Union (UCU) have
expressed solidarity with these student movements, urging the college
administration to address concerns around complicity in the conflict.
In June 2025, KCLUNISON, representing non-academic staff,
voiced support for the student activists who re-occupied campus space,
challenging the university’s perceived complicity with Israeli military
actions. They called on the university to take meaningful steps toward justice
for Palestine and protection of free speech on campus.
Calls for Government Action on Gaza Students
A joint statement by all six full-time KCLSU officers in
late August 2025 called on the UK government to allow students from Gaza with
UK university offers to start their courses. They highlighted the issue that
there is no UK Visa Application Centre in Gaza, preventing biometric enrolment
and visa processing, thereby barring many students from studying. While special
arrangements allow some scholars to complete biometrics in third countries, the
officers urged the UK Home Office to extend these provisions to all students
affected, citing the dangerous conditions in Gaza.
This plea was in response to the closure of the Visa Application
Centre in Gaza since the terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023 and
references a letter signed by over 200 student officers nationally advocating
urgent government action.
Continuing Campus Tensions and Student Activism
The intersection of student politics, campus activism, and
wider geopolitical conflicts has deeply impacted King’s College London. The
history of elections, where pro-Palestine candidates like Hassan Ali have won
significant mandates only to face internal disqualification for unspecified
internal matters, has added further fuel to campus debates.
In addition, reports in early 2025 detailed incidents such
as a Jewish student who organised a dialogue event between Iran and Israel
feeling threatened and forced to lock himself away for safety, illustrating the
charged atmosphere on campus.
King’s College London Students’ Union is on track to
potentially sever its historic ties with the National Union of Students following
disputes centred on the Gaza conflict, freedom of expression, and union
governance. The suspension of elected officers for expressing pro-Palestine
solidarity, active student and staff protests, and calls for government action
for Gaza students have all heightened tensions.
The forthcoming referendum will be a critical indicator of student opinion on KCLSU’s relationship with the NUS, mirroring a growing national trend of activist student bodies challenging established national student organisations over their responses to international conflicts.