Stirling Students’ Union is to vote on whether it should remain neutral on political issues, after President Dave Keenan came under fire for supporting the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
The motion, to be voted on at next Thursday’s General Meeting, says: “We seek to uphold the right to demonstration and protest of all political groups. However, we do not believe the Student Union should be showing official support for any political group or movement within or separate to the university.
“The official policy-mandated bias of the Students’ Union places it in the unique position of not being able to neutrally represent the entirety of the student body it claims to.”
On September 15, Brig posted footage of the Stirling CND assisting in blockading a nuclear convoy passing through Stirling.
Dave Keenan stated after the event: “Stirling Students’ Union wholeheartedly supports the society [Stirling Uni CND] and the students involved in this action. The Union has policy that states we support all peace initiatives within the local area and disarmament of nuclear weapons.
“We continue to support CND in their ongoing efforts to rid Scotland and the United Kingdom of the Trident nuclear missile deterrent.
“Therefore, we call on Police Scotland to drop the charges against those involved in yesterdays actions. Stirling Students’ Union takes a firm stance against Trident and will continue to support our CND society and our activists in any future actions.”
It is not the first time Keenan has been questioned over political interests, after being seen protesting alongside pro-Palestine supporters during Stirling University Politics Society’s Israeli diplomat event in March while he was a candidate for Union President.
The motion will ask Union to resolve that “the Students’ Union and all its officials and officers maintain a neutral stance upon all political issues.”
It will also ask that”the Student Union continue to support and encourage student demonstrations, but within the remit of the law.”
The motion will be put forward at the General Meeting on Thursday at 5pm in lecture theatre B4.
It is one of only two motions that will be debated at the meeting, Brig understands.
[…] It was sparked after the 2016/17 Union President Dave Keenan voiced his support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament last year. […]
[…] statement follows a motion submitted to the Union, which said: “We seek to uphold the right to demonstration and protest of all […]
[…] via Union to vote on political neutrality after CND dispute — Brig Newspaper […]