OPEN PLANNING MEETING for HANDS OFF MY WORKMATES CONFERENCE Wed 9th Sept 2009

Dear friends

SOAS UNISON, SOAS UCU and SOAS Students' Union would like to invite you to take part in an open planning meeting to discuss our campaign to bring back our cleaners in-house, and how to build the teach-in on migrant workers that we are organising for Saturday 17 October 2009 following the brutal UKBA raid on our cleaning staff in June.

Details of the meeting—at which we want to plan how to build the conference—are below.

Please feel free to forward this invitation.

Read the rest of the plans at the Free SOAS Cleaners blog. Provisional agenda included. Plus photos, videos and reports from occupation.

Thank you for all your support. let's try to make this a broad, proactive campaign. If this can happen at SOAS it can happen anywhere.We need to pre-empt moves by the government and management to let them
know we are watching and will fight back

Speak soon.

In solidarity

Home Office: 'Support our wars or you'll be denied a UK passport'

New rules on citizenship could bar immigrants who use the ancient British right to protest

By Jane Merrick, Political Editor, the Independent, Sunday, 2 August 2009

http://tinyurl.com/l3whtf

Immigrants who take part in protests against British troops could be denied citizenship of this country under controversial new Home Office rules.

The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, will launch a consultation tomorrow on a new points-based system for would-be migrants according to their behaviour, as well as skills and qualifications.

Mr Johnson, writing in the News of the World, said: "Bad behaviour will be penalised, and only those with enough points will earn the right to a British passport."

While he did not explicitly point to those who take part in anti-war demonstrations, the newspaper reported that this would be included in examples of "bad behaviour".

But there was confusion over the policy last night, as the Home Office appeared to backtrack on whether protesters would be penalised.

An aide to Mr Johnson said the Home Office was consulting on what constituted bad behaviour, but refused to comment on the issue of protesters.

Earlier this year, troops on a homecoming march in Luton were jeered by Muslim protesters carrying placards that read "Butchers" and "Animals". However, there was no suggestion that the protesters were, in fact, immigrants, so the alleged rules would not apply in any case.

While inciting hatred is a crime, the suggestion that taking part in an anti-war protest could be a bar to a British passport would be highly controversial and draw accusations of pandering to the right.

The new rules would also see the period for which foreigners have to work in the UK before becoming eligible for citizenship doubling from five to 10 years. Applicants from outside the EU are already subject to a points-based system that covers skills, but the tougher rules would sever the "link between temporary work and becoming a permanent UK citizen", Mr Johnson wrote.

"Already we require that people earn the right to become citizens by paying taxes, speaking English and obeying the law," Mr Johnson added. "Tomorrow I will go even further, unveiling my new citizenship proposals which will require that people earn points for, among other things, their skills, their job and their qualifications."

As Mr Johnson risked charges of playing tough on immigration, the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, stoked the row over the Conservative Party's new alliance with the far right in Europe. Mr Miliband issued a thinly veiled attack on a Polish politician accused of anti-Semitism.

The Foreign Secretary said David Cameron's decision to support Michal Kaminski as leader of the Tories' new Euro-grouping had provoked "real cause for concern" among Britain's Jewish community. Mr Kaminski, a member of the far-right Polish Law and Justice Party, has denied claims that he opposed an apology by his countrymen in 2001 for the massacre of hundreds of Jews in Jedwabne in July 1941.

The Foreign Secretary, the son of Jewish refugees of the Holocaust, said: "David Cameron has shown little appetite for tough decisions in his career to date. On this rare occasion, he has decided to expend some serious political capital. And on what? On supporting a man like Michal Kaminski for a position of influence in the European Parliament over a moderate and loyal member of his own party.

"It has given key communities in Britain real cause for concern. Against the best advice of foreign leaders and British business, he drove the Tories out of the mainstream and into the right-wing margins of Europe. This reversion to the right-wing extremes of his own party should give people a strong sense of what both he and his party believe in, and it has nothing to do with the best interests of Britain."

Mr Kaminksi has insisted he is not anti-Semitic, and claims he has spent "a lifetime of work supporting Israel and the Jewish community in Poland".

Sent from my iPhone

SOAS staff to strike in support of Jose Stalin Bermudez

See Stalin speak at Birkbeck campaign meeting HERE

Joseph Stalin Bermudez, the SOAS UNISON Branch Chair was sacked by SOAS management following what UNISON believes was a deeply flawed and unfair disciplinary process.

Stalin an Ecuadorian migrant worker, is a respected member of staff who had worked at the School of Oriental and African Studies for ten years with a previously unblemished record

SOAS UNISON together with colleagues in SOAS UCU and SOAS Students’ Union had called for a genuinely independent appeal to review the School’s decision but this was refused. SOAS UNISON has been forced to conclude that SOAS management had decided in advance to dismiss Stalin and issues such as evidence and fairness were not going to be allowed to get in the way.

The School dismissed the signed statement and personal testimony of the only independent witness to the alleged events that formed the basis for the disciplinary investigation. It is disgraceful that in SOAS of all places that this evidence provided by a black member of staff can, be dismissed as being “not credible.” In order construct a case sufficiently strong to dismiss Stalin the School referred back to a previous allegation that it had found at the time to be “unfounded and unsubstantiated”. It dismissed numerous character references provided by staff across the School in support of Stalin.

Stalin has been an outstanding SOAS UNISON Branch Chair and has consistently stood up for UNISON members’ rights. His work with the SOAS Living Wage Campaign was central to ensuring that SOAS cleaning staff can now work with a degree of dignity.

It is time to return that solidarity and show full support for Stalin. We urge SOAS staff and students to show whatever support they can.

***In support of Stalin, SOAS UNISON members have voted to conduct a 24 hour Strike Action, which will take place on Thursday 28th May.**

Join the facebook group HERE for updates

Read Lenin's comments HERE

So, the 'war-efforts' of BME are not recognised after all-SOAS occupation justified

In January, SOAS students occupied the Brunei gallery over the MoD's disgraceful exhibition which was supposed to be celebrating the 'war efforts of Black and Minority Ethnic' soldiers in the First World War. Claiming that the first Britons were those who fought in their wars, the military  were using SOAS space for free in an attempt to attract SOAS students into joining. The exhibition spoke about a few high ranking officers from India and various places in africa who chose to join the armed forces but did not at all, which is whhat we feared, talk about the many who were forced to join and subsequently used as human shields and worse...check out somee of the racist imagery that was used at the time. 

So, now it comes as no surprise that the MoD have issued a series of Action Man dolls in another attempt to recruit even younger kids. (And Hackney Stop the War anti-recruitment campaign fights on...new photos of action HERE)

Stop the War Statement on MOD dolls.

The MOD has sponsored a set of "HM Armed Forces" dolls. All are male, all are white, none have missing limbs or bear the psychological scars of warfare.

Since the ‘war on terror’, the government has been struggling to make the army something to be respected and emulated and to make war seem acceptable and justifiable. These toys are a part of that drive as are the resurgence of military parades and recruitment campaigns aimed at teenagers.

The reality is that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are disasters and the last three soldiers to die in Iraq committed suicide because they found their lives unbearable. These toys attempt to make acceptable a completely unacceptable situation. Children have no natural predilection to violence nor do they have any need to play with toys that normalise war. This glamorisation of war and today’s rising levels of unemployment are a dangerous combination. Children should not be targeted for military recruitment.

Assed Baig beats the BNP. Go President Baig

In the face of a vicious, racist campaign at his uni Assed Baig has proved that All it Takes for Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing by winning the presidency of the students' Union.

Assed has not done nothing and therefore evil has  not triumphed.

Baigus has been an inspiration to many standing firm on his politics fighting fascism on campus, defending liberation campaigns and campaigning for free education for all (amongst many other things). Last year he did a national speaking tour  on the topic 'What is Racism?' putting his studies in jeopardy, and not seeing  his son for days on end. 

The campaign against him included smears about his personal life but worse still apparently he was going to:

• implement sharia law
  
• close the night club
• separate women in classes and social spaces
• have only curry in the catering services (like that would be a bad thing!!)
• references to Assed bin Osama
• and more.

Read his report HERE if you are on facebook  or HERE if you are not which includes all 116 comments.

His university is in the heartland of the BNP and has had fellow campaigners beaten up for working with p*ki's. He has campaigned tirelessly on his campus for a few years now, has been on  the SU exec for 2 and now has proven that he knows how to put his money where his mouth is and has built many campaigns on what was otherwise an awful politically passive university.

Here are a few of the lovely comments on his facebook page: 

From Bonolo Woracker - Oh My Days Brother!!!! Congratulations dude, I am so proud and happy. I knew you would make it!! You have been an inspiration and mentor to me and now I know you can only bring good things to the students at Staffs!! If you don't stand up for something, you will fall for anything!! Congrats President Assed!!

Jennifer Jones - So amazing you're elected, can't believe you managed despite all the lies and smears. proves you can't win an election by relying on islamophobia! now racism will never go unchallenged on your campus. you're gonna be brilliant next year I will be so proud to waive motions to you at NUS! "Goldsmiths waives to Assed Baig, President of Staffordshire Students' Union"!!!

Shamin Akhtar - Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.

I feel compelled to share the thoughts of Subhaiha Sheik which she wrote after having accompanying Assed on his tour: Why racism is very much White on Black.

I want to wish Assed all the best and would like you all to send your support to him on facebook (if you're on it).

Racist Prince Harry and his 'p@*i' mate, Ahmed. Watch the video here

So, you're only british if you fight in the British army. Fuming about racist exhibition at SOAS...

So, you're only British if you fight in the British army, originally uploaded by solomonsmfield.

Note the racist imagery

Fuming about racist exhibition at SOAS...

Last year we were approached by the Ministry of Defence asking us to host an exhibition about the war efforts of Black and Minority Ethnics in the World wars 1 & 2. We discussed it, put it to the union general meeting (UGM) and voted unanimously not to allow military propaganda into our union.

Imagine my reaction when i found out that the school have gone ahead with it regardless of what the students want...there is much more to this story-you will find it very illluminating. I need to write a motion for our UGM tmrw details of the agenda on post below. I will post the full story soon. Please come to the UGM tomorrow to support our emergency motion. Below is the message from the school...

This week SOAS is hosting an exhibition in the Brunei Suite (ground floor, Russell Square end of the Brunei Gallery Building) called the "We were there" exhibition. All students and staff are welcome to go in and have a look around, any time between 9am and 9pm Monday through Friday this week (12-16th Jan). There will also be some school parties visiting and at those times there will be a small number of serving officers in attendance.

The exhibit features the stories of many individuals from ethnic and religious minorities who have worked in or alongside the UK's defensive forces over the past 250 years including pilots, sailors and soldiers but also technicians and engineers, nurses and spies, all sorts of roles. The emphasis is on professionalism and service, rather than the events in which people became involved. 

This exhibition was developed with support from the Commission for Racial Equality and has won awards for bringing to public attention the involvement of people from minority groups. We hope that you will find it of interest.

Anti-terror police 'need Muslims' ...

An article in the Times today reports that the police force, in response to the 'increase in terrrorism' needs to recruit more Muslims 'with a cultural, religious or linguistic understanding of the individuals most likely to be involved in these groups'

...oh, perlease. Why? So Muslims can be arrested in their 'own language'? Just as Enoch Powell studied Urdu at SOAS in order to be able to continue the Imperial rule in the Sub-continent, this is nothing more than a false attempt to present the police as a caring force for the community.

Why not teach other police that not all Muslims are the same, or that not all brown people are Muslims (think John Charles de Menezes) . Employing more Muslim police officers will not detract from the fact that the police force is institutionally racist (See the National Black Police Association's call for recruitment boycott ).

why don't they spend more money on arresting the real criminals in society-tax evaders,brutal police, war criminals, State terrorists, exploiters, racist/homophobic/sexist bigots.

I have written this in a rush so please continue my train of thought below...

African Students claim historic victory @ SOAS

During a debate on Free education of which I was on the panel, a large group of students interupted the meeting to protest about the NUS's disgraceful decision to find Kings College SU president not guilty of racism.

In my speech on Fighting for Free Education I spoke about the need to fight for your rights; that the ruling classes dont just wake up and think 'what am i going to do today?, erm, maybe i'll give women the right to vote'. NO, women had to fight for this right. And the Black Students Campaign were exactly right to disturb this meeting and fight for their rights.

Wes streeting complained that he felt intimidated and harrased, and one of our own Co-Presidents called security.I'm not suprised that the security guard, who is Nigerian, did not rush or try very hard to remove said protesters.

The Minority Students Campaign forced NUS President Wes Streeting to answer questions which he has for the most part avoided. In all fairness, althhough he spoke like a true politician, typically avoiding the truth, he did issue an apology and admitted that the NUS has handled this case poorly and will oversee changes in procedures to ensure that we do not see a repeat of this event.



Not known for mincing his words Lee Jasper severly reprimands Wes.



Well done to Mpegwa for demonstrating, and demonstrating what can be acheived when you stand up for your rights. Being his very first protest it wass great to see a whole new layer of angry students want to get involved.


Written by Alex Donald
23/10/08

A damning statement, demanding an “immediate apology” and threatening “further action from being taken”, has been released by the SOAS Student Union Executive (SU Exec.).

The joint statement, which was signed by Ben Sellers (President of Sports and Societies), Marya Ahmad (President of Welfare and Education) and Nizam Uddin (President of Finance and Communication) directly accuses the Enuff is Enuff campaign of “false claims, inaccuracies, misrepresentation and slander” regarding their coverage of last Wednesday’s demonstration in the Junior Common Room (JCR) against Wes Streeting, the President of the National Union of Students (NUS).

The statement, which can be read on the SOAS SU website, directly indicts SOAS African-Caribbean Society (ACS), Minority Students UK (MSUK), Afrikan and Afrikan-Caribbean Youth and Student Action group (AA-CYSA) and an unnamed SOAS co-Black Officer.

“The Students’ Union is requesting an immediate retraction and apology from all parties concerned to counter the disrepute that it has placed upon the SOAS Students’ Union and prevent further action from being taken.”

SNEWS has learnt that the President of SOAS ACS, Symeon Brown is currently in direct talks with Mr Uddin about the incident.

The statement released counters claims made by the ethnic minority students campaign group MSUK that the presence of Mr Streeting at SOAS last Wednesday was as a result of an “undemocratic invitation” by the “powers that be within SOAS Union.”

The SOAS Exec argues that it “defends its behaviour in line with its principles”

MSUK also accuses Mr Uddin directly of having “political affiliations” with Mr Streeting, an allegation that the statement dismisses as “false”.

Last Wednesday (15th), protesters stormed the SOAS JCR demanding the immediate resignation of Mr Streeting for failing to act swiftly against “institutional racism” within the NUS.

A heated argument, which can be viewed here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6rbCY50SqQ (Part 1 coming soon!), between Mr Uddin and SOAS Mature Students Officer Mpegwa Mwakang’ata took place, where Mr Mwakang’ata accused Mr Uddin of failing to uphold SU policy by inviting Mr Streeting.

Meanwhile, a source from within some of the groups mentioned, who wishes to remain anonymous, told SNEWS that statements responding to the Exec's statement will be released soon.

Angry SOAS students force NUS president Wes Streeting to answer questions over racism in the NUS

During a debate on Free education of which I was on the panel, a large group of students interupted the meeting to protest about the NUS's disgraceful decision to find Kings College SU president not guilty of racism.

I spoke about the need to fight for your rights; that the ruling classes dont just wake up and think 'what am i going to do today?, erm, maybe i'll give women the right to vote'. NO, women had to fight for this right. And the Black Students Campaign were exactly right to disturb this meeting and fight for their rights.

Wes Streeting complained that he felt intimidated and harrased, and one of our own Co-Presidents called security. I'm not suprised that the security guard, who is Nigerian, did not rush or try very hard to remove said protesters.

During the Q&A with Wes, our 'Anti-Racism' officer Jordan Anderson held up the informational flyer and with a look of contempt on his face proceeded to rip the leaflet into tiny pieces, adding insult to injury, fanning the flames causing a great deal of anger. Students started a petition to get the 75 signatures required to force an Emergency General Meeting to put forward a 'vote of no confidence' to force the anti-racism officer to resign too. These students then went on to speak about this issue in lecture announcements.

Well done to Mpegwa for demonstrating, and demonstrating what can be acheived when you stand up for your rights. Being his very first protest it wass great to see a whole new layer of angry students want to get involved.


The rest is written by Alex Donald, Research and materials by Yelden Sarybay

Angry scenes broke out as protesters stormed the SOAS Junior Common Room (JCR) yesterday during a meeting demanding the immediate resignation of the President of the National Union of Students (NUS) for overseeing “institutional racism”.

Meanwhile Wes Streeting, the President of the NUS, accused the protesters of “bullying”, “intimidating” and “generating a climate of fear”.

While Mr Streeting was talking, the demonstrators, led by SOAS Mature Students Officer Mpegwa Mwakang’ata, chanted “Slavery is no joke, Wes Streeting’s got to go!”

This refers to an incident at an NUS training seminar at the University of York where student officers were acting out role-playing scenarios. One student inappropriately held up a sign which read ‘BRING BACK SLAVERY’ and was subsequently questioned by police.

He was then subject to an NUS enquiry for another incident in which he is alleged to have called black people “undesirables”. His comments were found by the enquiry “not to be motivated by a racist agenda”.

During the scuffles in the JCR, a heated exchange took place between two SU executives. Mr Mwakang’ata accused Nizam Uddin, the Student Union (SU) President of Finance and Communications, of failing to uphold Student Union Policy:

“Our constitution says union policy is decided at the UGM (Union General Meeting). The most recent UGM policy that the SOAS student body has passed democratically states that Wes Streeting should resign immediately…We should not have him here on platform”

However Mr Uddin argued that the decision to invite Mr Streeting took place before the union policy was passed:

“We invited Wes to come down before the UGM. We honoured that.”

In the midst of the chaos, Mr Uddin explained to the protesters, who were surrounded by security guards and voyeuristic students alike, that he was not disagreeing with their cause but was there rather to participate in the meeting that was currently taking place.

“This debate is about free education…I’m supporting the fight for free education.”

Mr Mwakang’ata then went on to accuse Mr Uddin of not organising enough events for Black History Month.

“How many events have you organised, Nizam, for Black History Month?” To which Mr Uddin replied: “I’m Finance and Communication. You are part of SOAS union. What have you done?”

Meanwhile Mr Streeting denied he was going to resign and that his position is untenable: “I think it’s pretty ironic that people are making grievances about the equal opportunities policy whilst engaging in this sort of bullying and intimidation. “I think the NUS has conducted itself reasonably well. There are lessons to learn.

“Generating a climate of fear and intimidation that I’ve never ever seen at a student meeting before is absolutely reprehensible.”

Meanwhile one of the protesters vowed not to give up their campaign against Mr Streeting: “We won’t give a second of rest until he resigns.”

Pigs publish racist 'Crime Maps'

How dare they.

How do they even categorise 'crime' in the first place? Do they record every incident of tax evasion, police brutality, war crime, exploitation, racist/homophobic/sexist oppression, deportation, empty property, over-crowded state school, crimes against the environment and the such like? Do they eckers like...

These maps only show where poverty and deprivation are at it's worst. Where kids can't get a job coz they are the wrong colour or refuse to work for £2.50. Where schools and housing are so run down that the councils sell them off to private developers for yet another flat-pack high street of Starbigbucks, Costa-lot-coffee and Mc-bloody-Donalds.

With the police under ever increasing targets to book or arrest a certain number per day, it's no wonder that there is growing resentment to the governments policies of 'getting tough on crime'.

I know many police officers and ex-officers (my Dad for one) who join the police because they want to help the community. But who soon realise (see the bottom paragraph of this link) that they are not there to solve problems in society but to protect the rich. I have encountered many police who, after years in an innercity area, become more and more racist because all they see is poverty and somehow make the link that minorites are to blame rather than blame the system.

Racism in the Student Movement

From Black Students Campaign on Ednet.

http://www.educationet.org/messageboard/posts/1175528850.html

At an NUS training event this week, Chris Mullan, President of Kings College London Students Union questioned encouraging more students from the local Black community to attend a university, as he thought the presence of such students would increase gun and knife crime and so require more security. He then went on to say that there should be thought put into whether they want such 'undesirables' at the university. In the same session another student officer, Craig Cox, Education Officer of the University of Nottingham, thought it would be funny to hold up a poster saying 'BRING BACK SLAVERY'!

It is unacceptable that Black students should have to put up with blatant racist stereotypes at NUS events. It is unacceptable that slavery can be treated as a joke; it is one of the greatest crimes in human history and the root cause of modern racism that has left us with a legacy that continues to mar the lives of Black people today.

Furthermore, it is unacceptable that nothing was done about this by the NUS NEC present, and it was only when the Black Students Officer was involved that action was taken. This only happened because a distressed Black Student who felt it hadn't been dealt with immediately contacted me. I advised her that the offending students must be made to leave as they had contravened the NUS Equal Opportunities policy. This whole process took nearly 3 hours, and included me having to contact the NUS President again. Some Black students were so upset that they left and others intend to boycott future NUS events. I urged them to stay – no Black Students should ever feel so ostracized and insulted by comments and actions that they should have to leave an event. Incidents of racism should be dealt with immediately.

Last term Black students were enraged to hear that the NUS VP Welfare had been told by a member of the NUS NEC that her brother's name was 'too foreign sounding' to be used in promotional materials for the NUS discount card. The National President expressed regret for these comments and his own failure to challenge them at the time. And yet on Thursday, no action was taken until a series of complaints, including my own, were made. This is simply not good enough!

Unfortunately this is not the first time that the needs and concerns of Black students have been ignored. I have already called on the National Secretary and President to ensure that Muslim students are not excluded from training following an event earlier in the summer, where practising Muslim students were forced to eat their dinner behind a screen, separated from other delegates, as a non-alcoholic venue had not been provided. One Muslim student accidentally ate a dessert unaware that it contained alcohol. At NUS 'Liberation' training I was told by the National Secretary that no action could be taken against a student advocating support for the fascist BNP because the NUS 'no platform' policy did not apply to training events! Only when I insisted he leave, was any action taken on this. What do we have to say or do before the needs of Black students are addressed?

These incidents send out an alarming message to Black students and are part of a wider culture where our needs are sidelined. Following the offensive comments regarding the discount card last term, NUS agreed to demands from the Black Students' Campaign for compulsory equality training to be given to NEC members. We have now been in office for nearly two months and it is only now that this is being arranged. Black students have had to fight for years for proper representation in NUS. But clearly we still have a long way to go. It is not good enough for officers of NUS to pay lip service to anti-racism while they pander to racism in practice.

The NUS Black Students Campaign will to continue to fight every manifestation of racism in society, in our colleges and universities, our students' unions and in NUS. We are not taking these incidents lightly. Discrimination requires immediate action. I encourage all Black students to get active in the Campaign and all those genuinely committed to driving back racism to join us in this fight.

I urge you to join us in calling for the following :

1. Support for Black students to holding officers to account Sabbatical Officers who make racist comments.

2. All NUS events to have a clear statement against racism made clear to all participants.
3. Compulsory Equality training for NEC - including how to deal with incidents of racism amongst NUS members and officers - for this to be an a part of the induction for all new members of the NEC.
4. Equality training at sabbatical training events.
5. Call on the National Secretary and President to ensure that no event is organised to the exclusion of Muslim students, as happened earlier this summer with a training event.
6. All students to join our campaign for 3 minutes silence to remember the brutal legacy of slavery and colonialism.

"Apartheid" Wall at SOAS graduation

SOAS Graduation is an event that, despite its semi-formality, brings together students (or, in the words of the neo-libs; learners), parents, academics, honorary degree awardees, support staff and generally any other friends of SOAS graduates.

This year, however, SOAS management has brought shame on itself and on the reputation of the school.

This year saw an unprecedented degree of segregation. So much so that even those affected by the event were so dumbfounded that they could not think clearly as to how to deal with this issue. This year the school operated what has been described by those who experienced it as "Apartheid".

Every year, after the official graduation ceremony, everyone converges onto the main SOAS grass; into and surrounding a marquee to enjoy an afternoon of great SOAS music and company, and (crap Sodexho) food and drink.

This year, unbeknown to the majority of us, the 'event organiser' organised 3 separate areas. In the marquee students, parents and Students' Union staff and officers ate, danced and drank like every other year. There was also small a number of support staff. We didn't even notice that the management and 'VIP' guests were not there.

They were secretly entertained in the Brunei suite. Upon entry management, staff and guests were ushered into one of two clearly signposted areas: Academics and VIP to the left; AV staff and other helpers to the right. These two areas were divided by a full length temporary screen. On the VIP side a full buffet was offered complete with top level champagne and strawberries and cream. The 'rest' were provided with a packed lunch in a paper bag with paper cups. A large poster on the wall informed the 'helpers' that if they should require strawberries and cream, that they were not to enter the VIP side but instead to go to the marquee with the students.

It doesn't take a genius to imagine what happened-there was a very clear and visible divide between the white elite on one side and majority black and minority ethic workers on the other. The 'helpers', who are some of the most low paid workers in th school and who already face discrimination in a number, and all the usual, ways, were absolutely appalled and embarrassed by this segregation.

SOAS is a prestigious institution with a world-class reputation for both it's regional focus and its critical engagement with international relations of power and dominance. Those of us who work or have chosen to study at the school are rightly proud of that reputation. But we also believe that the school should practice what it preaches and not build its reputation on practices that contribute to the problems in society which for the focus of the research of so many of us. We believe that the school should ensure that all those employed on the campus deserve the same dignity and respect afforded to the most senoir of staff.

"Staff - SOAS's staff are its most valuable resource and will play a vital role in achieving the School's vision. SOAS aims to provide all staff with a positive working environment, and proper levels of recognition and reward." (SOAS 2016: A Vision and Strategy for the Centennial, p13)

It is hard to equate the above statement with the treatment suffered by some of the lowest paid workers in the school.

We (the Students' Union) have been approached to start a campaign to ensure this never happens again: we have also been asked to threaten to host our own parallel graduation ceremony next year should this disgusting practice be repeated .

SOAS-the School of Oriental(ist) and African Studies-has also earned its reputation for being a place which has it's own unique community. This community spirit, as lauded by both the Students' Union and then echoed by the director in their speeches at this years ceremony, does not happen magically. It is a product of many years of fighting to break down the barriers between us and them. Through the struggle, through solidarity, through lively and visible campaigns the Students' Union, along with the other unions, have fought to bring about a atmosphere of inclusivity.

For the last 2 years the SU officers contacted all the staff members to remind them that they, as honorary members of the SU, are welcome and encouraged to attend society meetings, events and parties. Collectively, we have co-hosted parties as part of the successful campaign for a Living Wage for the cleaners, we have academics in societies such as the Boxing club, Stop the War and the World Music Choir, we go on a whole host of demonstrations and strike action together. We are regularly approached by members of staff to help fight against injustices that take place at SOAS.

Who on earth thought that organising the graduation ceremony in this degrading manner wouldn't go unnoticed? It has come to our attention that this year the school employed an expensive external consultant 'Events Coordinator'. A job that is usually carried out by permanent members of the registry, who do a sterling job despite the pressure they face from being underfunded and with little support.

We understand that the main person in the registry has left the school, but we don't understand why, even if it was absolutely necessary to bring in outside people, the management did not veto the decision to divide up our wonderful community at a time so important as graduation.

Well, actually, we do understand. And this is the problem...

Part ii soon...Universities in a Neo-Liberal World.