EUSA Presidential candidate should back down over racial abuse claims

Like most people, I have never cared much for student politics.

Once in second year I agreed to vote for a candidate because he was handing out free Smarties, but even then I was merely lampooning him, and never actually bothered to vote.

Recent circumstances have, however, resulted in a reassessment of my attitude towards student politics and, more specifically, those who purport to represent the interests of the entire student population.

To my dismay, one of the candidates for the upcoming EUSA presidential position felt it appropriate to make this now infamous comment:

Faatima was Black and Minority Ethnic Convenor at the time

You would be forgiven for thinking that this was some sort of elaborate ruse to attract interest in the upcoming elections – somewhat like the free Smarties, but a little harder to swallow.

Faatima briefly justified her comments during the EUSA live debate with the fact that ‘white people’ had exploited her ancestors for generations.

Ines was probably surprised to hear that she was responsible for such oppression. She could not recall dabbling in the Caribbean slave trade at any point in her life.

It was almost as if she was being treated differently based on the colour of her skin. Fortunately she happened to be white, otherwise that would probably be a little racist.

A petition was subsequently started to protest Faatima’s involvement in the political process:

Faatima’s most recent update was posted late on Friday night.

Rather than backing down, she endorsed the criticism as symbolic of the oppression she would have to overcome in her quest for political relevancy.

The petition was not related to her race or gender.

Faatima also stressed the context of the Facebook status, which had referenced the short sighted decision of four students to dress up as Somalian pirates for an “around the world” social.

While these individuals displayed a lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity, we should remember that Ines was not one of them.

To the best of my knowledge, Ines seemed more concerned about whether she would be able to dress up as the Disney princess Jasmine than an extra from Captain Phillips.

However, this not the only generalisation she has made regarding white people:

Oddly, she also dislikes half of the world’s population:

And while we’re at it, screw you Emma Watson.

The truth is that privilege is subjective, and Faatima has a blinkered view.

She fails to see that inequality exists between white and black, rich and poor, state and private, council house and country house. In truth, she sees the spectrum of colour that society is in simple black and white terms.

Faatima maintains that equality is subjective, and is yet to apologise for her comments. I take a simpler view – you cannot treat people differently based on the colour of their skin.

Ines has told Fresh Air that:

“This isn’t a personal matter between Faatima and me. My opinion is that absolutely nobody should be told “fuck you”, specifically for the colour of their skin, particularly not an elected and salaried president of the students’ association, and I don’t wish to discuss her justifications.”

The petition to have Faatima stand down from student politics can be viewed here.