King’s College disqualifies pro-Palestine Student Union president despite election win

Hassan Ali, an Election-winning KCL Muslim Student who is in support of Palestine, was not allowed to be the Student Union President. Hearing of that resolution has raised concerns of censorship and led the College into a great debate, among mounting student protests worldwide against the College’s complicity in regarding the conflict in Gaza. 

 The most recent election that took place was in March of the year 2024, and it was a Union Presidential election, which the King’s College London Student Union KCLSU held regarding it as well managed fair free, and clear democratic election. Standing for the pro-Gaza agenda Hassan Ali emerged the winner for the number of votes. The outcome of the election that was held on March 15 was that Ali had ’emerged the winner’ scoring 1,310 votes to the 341 registered by the second candidate. 

 However, what soon emerged was KCLSU insisting that such results were ‘provisional and not final,’ a fact that failed to receive a mention on their website, at the time of the announcement. In response to the students’ protests, the KCLSU administration published a statement with a note that there was an unbeaten secret internal HR issue that must be addressed before the Returning Officer could announce the outcome. As such, the Returning Officer declared that Ali could not take part in the 2024/25 KCLSU presidential election whereby he was removed as the candidate, and the subsequent recount and declaration of the new KCLSU President. 

 He stated his dissatisfaction with his dismissal in an interview with 5Pillars, describing it as targeting and eradicating Palestinians’ only ally on campus. As I pen down this piece I am very much saddened and frustrated to think of how, after only four days of joining the office of the President of KCLSU, I was removed from the position. 

This swift and unfair decision not only breaches the democracy that the student voters granted me in the just-concluded elections but also erases one of the rare voices that the University has for the defense of Palestinian and Muslim rights. ” 

 Ali also had something to say on this by pointing towards the outrageous selective activist stand of the Union on global issues. Analyzing their position, while the Union formally expresses support to Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, it still hardly says anything about Palestinians’ treatment, which suggests that this is more than just selective advocacy and undermines the Union’s authority in the field of human rights. 

 Later, Ali advocated for the Palestinian issue at King’s College London. In November 2023, together with two other Student Officers, Ali resigned from his post of KCLSU Vice-President of Welfare and Community after releasing a joint statement on social media, concerning the Union’s inactivity in the context of the conflict in Gaza. The three suspended officers accused the senior leadership of ‘‘intimidation and mistreatment. ’’ 

 Even though he was suspended from the organization for two months, Ali began his presidential campaign with an emphasis on the issues of openness and the proper functioning of the organization. Indeed, his disqualification came after he had cashed in on the victory by a clear win. Based on expectations, one of the contenders in the second position may be elected as the President replacing Nujoma while Ali can continue to serve in the capacity of Vice President as soon as his suspension period is over. 

 The situation has provoked protests and strikes and has become one of the most important student demands. In May, a group of students from several universities in London started the pro-Palestine sit-ins at the territory of the KCL, occupying the university area and providing a list of demands such as to demand to recognizing Israeli war crimes, supporting the academic boycott of Israel, and protecting the: right to free speech of KCL students and staff in support of Palestine. 

 This is a chain of protest actions that took place in many universities around the United Kingdom including Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Birmingham, and other areas of London concerning the Palestinians suffering in Gaza.