The largest education union in the country has passed a motion labelling Reform UK as “racist and far-right” and who are “scapegoating Muslims, Jews and others who do not fit their beliefs.”
Delegates at the annual conference of the National Education Union (NEU) also called for the union’s political fund to be used to help campaign against Reform UK election candidates whose policies and campaigns were “racist”.
A motion, passed by delegates at the conference on Tuesday, said it believes Reform UK is a “racist and far-right party because of its policies around immigration and its campaigns against migrants”.
It said Nigel Farage’s party“seek to build on the despair, poverty and alienation in our society by scapegoating refugees, asylum seekers, Muslims, Jews and others who do not fit their beliefs”.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, has repeatedly faced criticism of pursuing an extreme anti-Israel agenda that has infuriated many Jewish members, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas massacre.
In 2021, Kebede appeared at a pro-Palestine rally in Newcastle and told those in attendance “it’s about time we globalise the intifada.”
Daniel Kebede
At this year’s NEU conference in Harrogate another motion on Israel was passed by delegates.
Commenting on the motion’s repeated condemnation of Israel’s war in Gaza, Kebede did stress the need for the hostages still held by Hamas to be released.
He said:“Over the past 16 months, the NEU has called repeatedly for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
“We have watched in horror as Israel’s deadly attacks on Gaza have resumed, hostages have remained in captivity and attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have escalated.
“The NEU works with trade unions around the world on access to education, addressing teacher shortages and education in conflict zones. These issues are acute and urgent in Palestine. 17,400 children have been killed during Israel’s war on Gaza and access to learning for other young people destroyed.”
In another sign of the union’s often disproportionate focus the Middle East, figures for the NEU’s International Solidarity Fund showed nearly £300, 000 earmarked for Palestine, with £40 to a Send My Friend To School initiative.
Speaking to media at the annual conference Kebede renewed his attack on Reform UK.
“I think there’s an awful lot of racists who are getting involved in Reform,” he said.
“I think Nigel Farage is a right-wing populist.”
He also labelled Farage a “pound shop Donald Trump.”
When asked about the union’s stance on Reform UK at a press conference in County Durham on Tuesday afternoon, Farage accused the NEU leader of being a “self-declared Marxist” who he claimed was determined that “children should be poisoned at school” about everything to do with the country.
The Reform UK leader said: “He is encouraging literally indoctrination of teenagers in our schools by telling kids that Reform is a racist party.”
Farage added: “If we win the 2029 General Election we will go to war with the National Education Union and all the left-wing teaching unions”.
