As Universities Become Political Battlegrounds, They Cannot Afford to Remain Neutral | The Walrus

"In the December 2023 United States congressional hearing on antisemitism in colleges, then president of Harvard Claudine Gay was taken to task for the university's refusal to fly the Israeli flag on campus following October 7 even though it had flown Ukraine's flag after the invasion by Russia."

"At the University of Amsterdam, over 1,200 PhD candidates signed an open letter strongly condemning the university's response to the crisis for having euphemistically characterized genocide as a "situation" and for its silence about the "75 year occupation of Gaza.""

"At my then institution, the University of Regina, a motion to recommend to the president that the university publicly call for a ceasefire in Gaza was vigorously debated before ultimately being tabled and, weeks later, withdrawn."

"At York University, the administration condemned three student unions and threatened to remove their official recognition following the groups' joint statement of solidarity with Palestine, which characterized the October 7 Hamas attack as a "strong act of resistance" and throughout referred to "so-called Israel.""

Universities worldwide faced scrutiny after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Many issued statements condemning violence and expressing sympathy for victims in Israel, and less often in Gaza. Administrations were criticized for not taking strong enough stances, including refusals to fly the Israeli flag while flying other flags. PhD candidates and other groups protested euphemistic language and silence about long-term occupation. Motions calling for public ceasefire demands were debated, tabled, and later withdrawn. Universities also responded to student and departmental statements, including threats to remove recognition from student unions and requests to remove or revise web statements about genocidal violence in Gaza.

Read at The Walrus