Bern University management does not accept a new appointment
Published: Thursday, May 30th 2024, 14:50
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The University of Bern made it clear on Thursday afternoon that it will not tolerate the renewed occupation by a pro-Palestine collective. The university management called on the activists to vacate the occupied premises immediately.
In the morning, around two dozen activists occupied the foyer of the main university building in Bern. According to the university management, the occupiers used violence against a member of the housekeeping staff.
This is unacceptable, the university wrote in a statement. The university is a place for the exchange of ideas and debate. It upholds open discourse within the framework of the legal system. However, an occupation and politically motivated demands are not a framework for constructive dialog, said University Rector Christian Leumann according to the statement. This was communicated to the collective on Thursday afternoon.
The university management is still willing to engage in dialog. "But we will not be blackmailed," Leumann was quoted as saying in the statement. Leumann described the boycott of Israeli academic institutions demanded by the collective as a "massive restriction of academic freedom". This contradicts all academic values.
According to the university, it applied for the protest to be cleared as quickly as possible.
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