British Society for Middle EasternStudies (BRISMES): Open letter to Ms Bettina Stark-Watzinger, German Federal Minister of Education and Research
Dear Ms Bettina Stark-Watzinger,
We write on behalf of the Committee on Academic Freedom of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) to express our profound concern over your remarks in the Bild-Zeitung and the ensuing defamation campaign against academic staff in Berlin who have been calling upon universities to respect the right of students to protest on campus for a ceasefire in Gaza, to engage in dialogue with protesters, and to refrain from calling for the police to dissolve protests.
Founded in 1973, BRISMES is the largest national academic association in Europe focused on the study of the Middle East and North Africa. It is committed to supporting academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region, both in the UK and globally.
On May 7, 2024, the “Berlin Student Coalition” established a protest camp in the “theatre courtyard” of Freie Universität Berlin to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza. Shortly after the camp was set up, the management of Freie Universität Berlin, in coordination with the Berlin Senator for Higher Education and Research Ina Czyborra, called the police and then asked them to evict the camp. Police subsequently proceeded to clear the area, resorting to excessive force against peaceful protesters.
Over 70 people were arrested, and over 150 criminal investigations and investigations into administrative offences were filed. In response to the actions of the university management and police, more than 300 lecturers from Berlin universities and hundreds of academics from outside Berlin published a statement in defence of the right of students to demonstrate. At the time of writing, more than 1,000 scholars have signed the statement…
