Down Your Union

Down Your Union

Norma de Plume

Fossil Fooled

UCLU have effectively banned societies from receiving funding from fossil fuel companies, causing anger, confusion and an invasion of lawyers.

New Sustainability, Engagement and Operations saab, Zakariya Monhnran, along with Activities and Events Officer, Nick Edmonds, took the decision to reinterpret a year old motion compelling the union to support the Fossil Free UCL campaign. The result was a supposed blanket ban on societies receiving funding from fossil fuel companies.

Specifically the two saabs believe the word ‘campus’ in “For the EEOO, ECO, and EEO to coordinate and put resources toward a high profile Fossil Free campaign around fossil fuel divestment on campus” to include all affiliated societies.

Last year’s sabbatical officer however, did not view the support of Fossil Free in this way. And yet, this year’s new interpretation has not been communicated effectively. Women in Finance were shocked to see their BP sponsorship blocked, after previously having no problems and not hearing anything to the contrary. Monhnran also initially rejected Energy Society’s £1000 worth of funding from EcoFuel.

Regardless, it seems this new interpretation is up for negotiation. Energy Society hired lawyers to argue that Ecofuel merely stores oil rather than physically being involved in the act of drilling for it, and have now been allowed their funding. Woman in Finance were also allowed their funding from BP on a “one off basis.”

The motion to continue supporting Fossil Free was up for renewal at last month’s council meeting. The motion however was withdrawn by Fossil Free. This left members Energy Society furious as they would not be able to argue for a rewording of the motion.

Fossil Free themselves are uneasy with the Union’s reading of the motion. Wary of causing conflicts with fellow students, Stacy Coomber an organiser for Fossil Free explained that they had withdrawn the motion “so that we can discuss it properly within the Fossil Free campaign before the next Union meeting.”

UCL imposes will on union

The recent controversy over the protests against the appearance of Hen Mazzig, an ‘educational activist’ has shed new light on the sub-dom relationship between UCL and the Union.

UCLU claimed that Friends of Israel, who organised the talk, left the risk assessment section of the external speaker form blank, taking issue with the society’s failure to disclose the violence that surrounded Mazzig’s last talk in London, taking place at Kings College in 2014. Protesters claim that Mazzig was an officer in an organisation responsible for the ‘day to day management of the military occupation, including demolition of Palestinian homes, forced displacement, restrictions of movement’.

Whether it was simply a paperwork issue, or the event was deemed too much of a risk, UCLU decided it should not take place. In attempts to get the event reinstated, the Friends of Israel Society brought in lawyers and addressed the Provost directly. A Sabbatical Officer has told The Cheese Grater that management then became involved, asking the Union why Mazzig had been ‘no platformed’. However, UCLU are adamant that Mazzig had never been ‘no platformed’. Although management did send an email to the CEO of UCLU, Nick Edmonds, the Union’s Activities and Events Officer stated that ultimately ‘the decision was ours’. Hen Mazzig has now launched a tour of Uk campuses on the back of the publicity generated from these recent events. Grab your tickets before its too late!