Pro-Palestinian student demonstrators at the University of Zurich.
Keystone/ Ennio Leanza
The Association of Swiss Student Organisations has said that sit-in protests in connection with the Middle East conflict have, through some discriminatory demands and calls for violence, “lost all legitimacy”.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
العربية
ar
اتحاد المنظمات الطلابية السويسرية يُدين احتلال الحرم الجامعي
The line between anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and discrimination should never be crossed, according to a statement issued by the association on Thursday. Calls for a blanket boycott of scientific collaboration with Israeli universities, such as those made by some of the protestors, must be rejected, the association said.
Academic freedom means a fact-based diversity of opinion, it said.
However, the right to protest and the freedom of assembly must also be upheld, the umbrella organisation of Swiss student bodies wrote. In its opinion, protests and occupations at universities are legitimate and important means of expressing opinion. The association holds the universities responsible for the current escalation of the situation that led to the sit-ins in the first place.
Since October 7, 2023, when terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel triggered the ongoing war, a climate of silence has been promoted at universities, hindering constructive and open discourse, according to the association.
Universities should proactively create the space for academic approaches and discussions on such a highly complex conflict, instead of censoring them, it said.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kc,dos
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
In Switzerland, New Year brings ‘burqa ban’ and pension hikes
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
Swiss scientists discover unusual zones in Earth’s mantle
This content was published on
Using high-resolution models to study the Earth's mantle, scientists have identified zones of rocks in the lower mantle that are colder, or have a different composition, than surrounding rocks.
Egyptian diplomat’s murder: prosecutor calls for acquittal of defendant’s girlfriend
This content was published on
The Swiss attorney general has called for the girlfriend of the main defendant in the case of the assassination of an Egyptian diplomat in Geneva in 1995 to be acquitted. The woman is charged with complicity.
Low-cost e-tailers Temu and Shein put Swiss retail sector under pressure
This content was published on
Most Swiss retailers are concerned by the stiff competition from China's low-cost online platforms Temu and Shein, according to a survey.
This content was published on
More and more offices are standing empty in Switzerland's major cities. Nevertheless, new office constructions are likely to increase in the future, a study shows.
Zoos should consider culling surplus animals to regulate populations, say researchers
This content was published on
Researchers from the University of Zurich say zoos must rethink population management and allow animals to reproduce naturally - zoos should then cull surplus animals.
Swiss billionaire Martin Haefner creates foundation
This content was published on
Martin Haefner, owner of the car importer Amag and one of Switzerland's richest citizens, has set up a foundation with his wife Marianne.
Swiss army cuts uniform distribution to save millions
This content was published on
Members of the Swiss Armed Forces will only receive a distinctive grey dress uniform, the famous "Tenü A", for representational purposes in the future as a cost-cutting measure to save CHF55 million.
Swiss, Danish tourists among three dead in Australian plane crash
This content was published on
A light aircraft crashed during take-off from a tourist island in Western Australia, killing three people including Swiss and Danish tourists and injuring three others, authorities said on Wednesday.
Presidents of Ukraine and Switzerland discuss future meeting
This content was published on
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Swiss counterpart, Karin Keller-Sutter, have held talks by phone to prepare a future bilateral meeting, it was announced on Wednesday.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.