Union presidents “silenced” Treasurer with SDC threats, Treasurer says

Zuleyka Shahin, Union Treasurer, has alleged that she was “silenced” by former Union President Mayank Banerjee and President Olivia Merrett during the “Colonialist Comeback” cocktail controversy.

Hypothetical threats were made about disciplinary procedures, she claims, in a “dark and harrowing” conversation.

She deemed her treatment last week “symptomatic of the institutional racism of the Oxford Union society”.

And she further alleged that Olivia Merrett called activist Rebiya Kadeer a terrorist – an allegation that Merrett vehemently denied.

Shahin said that on Thursday night, when the controversy started, she went to the President’s office to discuss the matter with her. She was made to wait outside for nearly 40 minutes, and then allowed into the room.

Shahin said: “I wanted to see the President myself just so I could have an understanding of all the facts, to have an understanding of what had happened. I feel, to this day that as a Junior Officer, I have the right to at least know what had happened that night.”

But, she claims: “The President gave me a very simple answer that was that the Oxford Union society has made a mistake, and that it will not be happening again.

“And I continued to ask questions as Treasurer, as a Junior Officer and I kept getting the exact same line told to me over and over again.”

After this, the conversation “became particularly dark and harrowing”, Shahin alleges. “The former president, Mayank Banerjee, and the President started to enact a hypothetical situation in which it was discussed, and I phrase, “Madame President, what would happen were a member of committee to, for example, post a Facebook status about what has been discussed in this room?” And thus the other person would answer back.

“And they continued in this to and fro manner about what would happen to a committee member were they to discuss what was happening in that room. I, at that point, was very very upset with what I had seen on the material, and I was then upset because the President was not able to give me any information about what had occurred, what had happened, and I was now effectively being put in a situation where a hypothetical scenario was being discussed in which an SDC was mentioned (which is a senior disciplinary committee) which can be brought against any member who discusses this outside of that room at that time.

“I was asked my opinion on this by both the President-Elect and the former President, who asked me what do I think would happen to a person under the circumstances were they to discuss this outside of this situation outside of that room.”

Charlie Vaughan, President-Elect, said: “To be clear, was it not the reverse, did you not ask me what would happen rather than me asking you?”

Shahin replied: “I did not, why would I ask that?”

She added: “Mayank, who is not here today, initiated that conversation with the President on a back and forth about SDCing and disciplinary action that would be brought against a standing committee member. I said, something along the lines of, and I’m paraphrasing, I know what you’re talking about, or, you don’t need to use these hypotheticals, I’m not going to post a Facebook status about any given individual in this room or anything that has happened in this sort.

“It was implied very clearly to me that there would be disciplinary action should I speak about certain aspects of what had happened, even though I was not given any details relating to or pertaining to this particular incident.”

She later said: “This back and forth hypothetical happened in which I was effectively silenced.”

When asked if her treatment was an example of institutional racism, Shahin replied: “I believe so.”

“As a junior officer of colour, instead of the response being to ask me how I was affected by this, whether I was okay, I was visibly shaken up, I had been made to wait outside the room for nearly 40 minutes, I was then brought into the room, conversation ensued and then this back and forth hypothetical happened in which I was effectively silenced and was told there would be repercussions against me if I was to speak about this.

“I believe that is symptomatic of the institutional racism of the Oxford Union society.”

The Union’s Standing Committee passed a motion yesterday declaring the Union institutionally racist.

Shahin later made the shocking allegation that President Olivia Merrett called activist Rebiya Kadeer a terrorist. She said: “There was an explicit conversation in which you, Madam President, in a conversation with the Bursar, explicitly said that Rebiya Kadeer is having problems with her visa and could potentially be denied her visa because she is a terrorist.”

Rebiya Kadeer

Merrett, visibly angered and upset, immediately responded: “I did not say that, I did not say that Zuleyka! I’m sorry, as I explained, there were issues with Rebiya Kadeer’s visa because the Chinese government deem her to be a terrorist. I do not think she is a terrorist.

“She accused me of calling someone a terrorist which I absolutely never did, and if I used the word terrorist I would have been referring to it to explain to the bursar why there had been issues with the visa because the Chinese government view her as a terrorist.”

Shahin complained about her treatment on Thursday and then throughout the weekend. She said: “At no point did I receive a phone conversation, a phone call inviting me into the building, inviting me into the rooms, which is why I took it upon myself to continue trying to put myself into the process or be a part of the process.”

“I said to you very specifically, Madam President, your presidency is going to be judged on this particular incident. This is how you will be judged, this is how you will be remembered.

“And I said to you in order to help you and the rest of committee, allow me in, allow me to know what has happened, allow me to know at least the timeline of some details of what had happened, which you refused me at the time.”

Merrett denied that meetings took place on the weekend, but did say that informal discussions took place with committee members. The allegations made by Shahin against Banerjee and Merrett were not addressed by Merrett.