Global Democracy Coalition’s Post

“There is currently no movement in Israeli universities campaigning to sever ties with the Israeli military and security state for its repeated violations of the inalienable Palestinian right to education and other human rights. Even progressive organizations that work across Israeli campuses—such as the Joint Democratic Initiative or Academia for Equality, comprised of Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian (citizen) faculty and students—overwhelmingly fall short of addressing the demands of Palestinian universities. These activist groups have thus far refused to organizationally endorse Palestinian calls to hold Israeli universities accountable for their complicity in Israel’s violations of international law.100 Even the most progressive of Israeli-led initiatives, as Lana Tatour explains, operates within the framework of Israeli politics, and not within the Palestinian-led movement to end Israeli apartheid.” Excerpt From Towers of Ivory and Steel: How Israeli Universities Deny Palestinian Freedom Maya Wind This material may be protected by copyright.

NEW publication: Samer Alatout offers key insights into this new wave of student mobilization. He details student demands and places them within the historical legacy of US student organizing. He also examines the relationship between university administrators, students, and faculty, and finds hope in the kinship emerging between the latter two groups at this critical moment. #palestine #settlercolonialism #apartheid #politics #students #universityencampments

Why did the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) that has been setting the professional standards for higher education since 1915 and is widely acknowledged as the protector and defender of academic freedom in the American academy twist itself into pretzel-like contortions, claiming that what it once considered “inimical” to academic freedom is now perfectly acceptable, and can even contribute to protecting academic freedom? In a word: politics. #Studentsafetynotpolitical #Antisemitsm #Returntolearning #saveouruniversities  https://lnkd.in/d2m5EUeT

As the separation of church and state is imperative to ensure a free and democratic society, the separation of education from business and politics is essential for preserving academic freedom of speech. The other side of shiny campus buildings and a market-driven approach towards education is the erosion of academic freedom and scholarly activism. #academia #freedomofspeech

Recently, I presented my paper on "Academic Freedom: A Threat to Freedom of Learning in the University?" at the Comparative and International Education Society, 2024(CIES) conference. The paper explores universities as public spheres, drawing on Habermas's theory, and contrasts the conceptual meaning of academic freedom in Indian universities with the American context. This discussion is particularly relevant given the current global landscape, where incidents such as the suppression of pro-Palestinian speech at Columbia University and the police responses to student protests brings in light the challenges to academic freedom and many more. Due to the visa issues I had to opt for an online presentation. Despite this, the conference provided a platform to interact with other panelists on defending academic freedom and the importance of student movements and protests.. #CIES2024

I read with great indignation how certain universities succumb to blackmail by an aggressive minority. What those universities are de facto saying is that everyone is welcome except Jews. Imagine if this was about blacks or Muslims. Then the left would be up in the arms. This submission is anti-Semitism. Nothing else. It is also leading to academic poverty. Critical thinking in the West is in danger. Let our universities be free. Free from religious pressure and free from discrimination. We can’t tolerate the fact that Jewish students don’t feel safe in our universities anymore. We can’t tolerate the fact that the space for free thinking is continuously shrinking, including in our universities. This is not the Europe that we want. It is not the Europe that our children deserve. In too many situations, Europe chooses against its own values and identity. There is a concrete clash everywhere. Both on the streets and in our institutions and universities on geopolitical issues. In that narrative, Europe is letting itself down. And too many politicians choose cowardly silence with zero opinions or they give in to a noisy brutal minority who form an agressive thought police. They ignore or accuse the silent majority who cry or bleed in discretion. I want the voice of the silent majority to be heard. I am your voice in the European Parliament. Assita

More moral clarity from Assita Kanko . 🙏

#GraphOfTheWeek: Challenges to Academic Freedom in the United States Students in the US protesting against the Israeli government’s war in Gaza have, at several universities, been met with coercion by authorities, fueling a debate about academic freedom of expression. This week’s graph shows four indicators of academic freedom and their development in the US from 2000 to 2023. The graph shows that critical indicators of academic freedom have been in decline in the US since 2016. For example, Florida recently passed laws undermining institutional autonomy and the freedom to research and teach. Similar legislation targeting, among other aspects, free speech, curriculum control, and tenure protections has been introduced in over 30 states, making the current student protests only the most recent battleground for academic freedom in the US. Academic freedom is understood as the right of academics to, among other things, freedom of teaching and discussion, freedom in carrying out research and disseminating the results, freedom to express their opinion freely, and freedom from institutional censorship. It enables universities to play an important role in democratic societies not only through their research output but as hubs for critical thinking and free, open, and respectful dissent. Text with references at https://lnkd.in/dVatCnkT #GotW #USA #StudentProtests #AcademicFreedom

Wise words from Assita Kanko

Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights issued its official report, “Heightened Antisemitism in Canada and How to Confront it.”  (Dec. 20, 2024). https://lnkd.in/gxwnFQRQ The report includes many testimonies, discussion of legal and policy frameworks, and concrete recommendations. Particularly worrisome (and personally painful for me) is the observation that “At ground zero of this problem are our nation's universities…”. A big part of the report is focused on university students’ experiences of antisemitism. Students described experiences of violence, threats, intimidation, exclusions and humiliations. To many of us involved in this crisis since Oct 07 2023, this report is old news. The compilation and recommendations however could serve as a good resource for universities' EDI offices. They should learn concretely about the complete failure of this enterprise at universities - with regards to antisemitism - and seriously think how to address it.