Police clear ETH Lausanne site of pro-Palestine students
Published: Thursday, May 16th 2024, 21:20
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The ETH Lausanne (EPFL) campus occupied by pro-Palestinian students was evacuated by the police on Thursday evening. The university management had previously called on the 70 or so people to leave the campus as quickly as possible.
By early afternoon, around 50 people had already taken part in the occupation, EPFL spokesman Emmanuel Barraud told the Keystone-SDA news agency. A written exchange between the two parties took place on Thursday, he continued. On the university's website, the management stated that it was disappointed with the way the matter was handled.
At the end of the meeting, the EPFL management maintained its position of rejecting an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. For their part, the delegation of pro-Palestinian students felt that they had obtained "some concessions", but promised that "the movement will continue". EPFL, for its part, promised to conduct a thorough analysis of its research agreements with Israeli institutions.
No end in Neuchâtel
At the University of Neuchâtel, however, pro-Palestinian students are continuing their protest. They announced on Thursday that the collective would set up shop in the Faculty of Science.
The evening before, the protesters had agreed to interrupt the occupation of the hall of the Aula Jeunes-Rives to allow for dialog with the rectorate. "The university management has dismissed all demands without discussion, claiming to have already done enough and falsely claiming that there is no connection between the University of Neuchâtel and Israeli institutions," the collective wrote in a press release.
Several parties took a stand on the protests. The SP section of the city of Neuchâtel supports the pro-Palestinian mobilization. It also encourages the Rectorate to start a dialog with the collective and to critically evaluate the cooperation with Israeli institutions. On Wednesday evening, Neuchâtel councillors from the SVP, FDP and the Green Liberals issued a joint statement denouncing "this illegal occupation".
In Fribourg too, some students were still in the entrance hall of the Pérolle building late on Thursday afternoon. However, there were divisions within the student body itself.
Student association condemns occupations
The Association of Swiss Student Bodies (VSS) condemns the current occupations of Swiss universities in connection with the Middle East conflict. With some discriminatory demands and calls for violence, the current student movements have "lost all legitimacy", according to a press release issued by the VSS on Thursday.
The line between anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and discrimination should never be crossed. Calls for a blanket boycott of scientific collaboration, as put forward by some of the occupants, must be rejected. Academic freedom means fact-based diversity of opinion.
However, the umbrella organization of all Swiss student bodies also wrote that the right to protest and freedom of assembly must be upheld. Protest actions and occupations at universities are a legitimate and important means of expressing opinions. The VSS holds the universities responsible for the current escalation of the situation, which has led to the occupations.
Since October 7, 2023 - when the Palestinian Hamas carried out a massacre in Israel with around 1,200 deaths and over 200 kidnappings - a climate of silence has been promoted at universities, which prevents constructive and open discourse. Universities must proactively provide spaces for academic approaches and discussions on a highly complex conflict instead of censoring it, according to the VSS.
©Keystone/SDA
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