These academics regret the lack of a clear position “in favor of the Palestinian situation” from Belgian universities. Their action aims to protest against “violations of international law” by Israel.
After the United States, the United Kingdom and France, the movement of university support for the pro-Palestinian cause now affects campuses in Belgium. In support of students protesting Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, academics say they will not report students caught cheating in exams that begin Monday, as relays it La Libre Belgique.
The two signatories of the text sent to our colleagues, researcher Kenza Amara Hammou and doctoral student Jouke Huijzer, explain that they “will move around the lecture halls and examination rooms wearing pins, stickers or keffiyehs” and that 20 other future supervisors have already joined their process and signed their document.
In their argument to justify their next action, the protesters regret the links maintained by Belgian universities “with Israeli institutions despite human rights violations, war crimes and violations of international law by the Israeli regime. and the absence of a clear position “in favor of the Palestinian situation”.
“Cheating will have no consequences as far as we are concerned”
“As long as our rectors continue to ignore violations of international law by Israeli institutions, we will do the same when students break the rulescontinue university doctoral students. This does not mean that we condone cheating, but it will have no consequences for us.”
Several establishments have been blocked in Belgium, notably the University of Ghent where the police have already intervened to evacuate the campus at the request of the rector. In Liège, nearly 300 people gather at each gathering. But this declaration constitutes the first act of “surveillance strike” beyond Quiévrain. The academic authorities have not reacted regarding possible sanctions against these academics or potential cheaters caught in the act during the next exam sessions.
Several campuses blocked in France
Echoing the mobilization on American campuses, several actions have taken place in recent weeks in France, mainly around the Sciences Po sites. This mobilization ignites the political debate in the middle of the European campaign and has led to the intervention of the forces on several occasions. of the order, notably at Sciences Po Paris, at the Sorbonne. This Sunday evening, the police also evacuated pro-Palestinian activists who were occupying premises in Paris of the prestigious École Normale Supérieure (ENS). And last week, the police intervened in the premises of the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis) to put an end to a similar occupation.