End of the student protest in support of Palestine
The authorities of the University of Wrocław (UWr) reached an agreement with the students who were occupying rooms at the Institute of Cultural Studies. On 13 December, the students declared they would leave the occupied rooms by Monday, 16 December.
The students had been occupying the Institute’s rooms at ul. Szewska 50/51 since 3June 2024. During this time they organised 14 solidarity demonstrations supporting Palestine, 87 cultural and educational events, 2 Palestinian culture days, 18 meetings in book discussion club, and 17 lessons in Arabic . They also organised meetings in ministriesand in the Polish Parliament to gain support for the Palestinian academic community.
Their actions resulted in (among other things) a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to university rectors regarding support for Palestinians at Polish universities by offering opportunities for education and scholarship programmes.
Responding to the appeals of protesting students and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of Wrocław proposed to the Palestinian Ambassador in Poland to accept 20 additional students from Palestine to selected English-language programmes with reduced tuition fees and lower dormitory costs.
On 30 October 2024 the first expert debate under the patronage of the University of Wrocław’s rector took place. It regarded the conflict and the situation in the Middle East, with students participating in the discussion. They were also involved in student council elections.
The academic discourse played a role in bridging the gap between the university authorities and the protesting students.
On 14 November 2024, the Rector of the University of Wrocław, prof. Robert Olkiewicz, met with the representatives of the occupying students, Ms. Kaja Kędzioł and Mr. Hubert Hanisz, along with representatives of the Student Council, Vice-Rector for internationalisation, dr hab. Patrycja Matusz, and Vice-Rector for student affairs, dr Łukasz Prus.
During the meeting, they initially discussed the position of protest and its postulates.
On 26 November, the Rector of UWr, prof. Robert Olkiewicz established a Committee for the ethical evaluation of cooperation with foreign universities.
Conversations and meetings with vice-rectors and the rector of UWr eventually resulted in consensus. Students gradually started to leave occupied rooms and finally on 13 December they announced the end of the protest on ul. Szewska 50/51.
The University’s authorities and students stated: “The parties are concerned by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and by the actions against the Palestinian community that violate human rights and international humanitarian law. There is no justification for the destruction of science and violence against civilians.”
This statement is part of a broader agreement in which the students declared to end the occupation protest.
Both parties thank the academic community for their peaceful and persistent efforts, which contributed to reaching the agreement.
What is next?The University of Wrocław will provide necessary support to students from Palestine, in line with the agreement signed on 13 December. The University has declared to admit 20 students to one of 20 English-language programmes, with dormitory fees reduced by 50% and tuition fees lowered.
Both sides are committed to securing funds to support these actions and to engaging in activities aimed at rebuilding educational infrastructure in Palestine.
They will also appeal to government and local administration organs for additional financial support for Palestinian students, as well as for grants and research programmes for researchers from Palestine.
On 24 September 2024, rector of UWr wrote an article “Position of the authorities of the University of Wrocław towards the occupation of the Institute of Cultural Studies at ul. Szewska”.
The rector reminded the University of Wrocław’s commitment to safeguarding freedom of speech, freedom of scientific research, and respect for international law, particularly human rights.
He recalled the contents of the position of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities on the hostilities in the Gaza Strip of 20 May 2024, endorsed on 24 May 2024 by the Presidium of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, with which the authorities of the University of Wrocław fully identify.
He declared that the authorities of the University of Wrocław currently see no basis for breaking international grant agreements in which the University of Wrocław participates.
He confirmed the possibility of accepting students and scholars from Palestine and declared the establishment of a commission to consider ethical dilemmas related to international cooperation.
He stated that it is possible to hold scientific debates and discussions on the cultures of different nations and the international situation. However, he emphasised that this cannot be done in isolation from the existing legal order.
The full text can be found here:
Points discussed during the academic debate on 30 October 2024:
- the character, causes, and predicted effects of actions in the Middle East after 7 October 2023
- the state of democracy/authoritarianism in Israel and Gaza
- the role of international community (in particular countries, international and non-governmental organisations, and international court
- EU asylum, visa, and migration policies related to individuals from the Middle East, and forms of support for those affected by armed conflicts
- the autonomy of universities in Israel and Gaza, academic freedom, and limitations in access of education
- forms of cooperation with universities and criteria for its ethical evaluation
Experts who participated in the debate:
Dr Jagoda Budzik, assistant professor in the Tadeusz Taube Department of Jewish Studies, the Faculty of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Wrocław. She specialises in holocaust studies and the remembrance of it, Hebrew literature, and Israeli culture. Also read: https://uwr.edu.pl/en/our-young-scientists-with-ministerial-scholarships/
Dr Ewa Górska, Faculty of Law and Administration, Digital Justice Center. She specialises in the sociology of law and conducting empirical research on law, but her research topics are related to Islam and the Arab world. She has dealt with, among other things, Arab customary law, critical geography of law using the example of Palestine, bioethical issues in contemporary Islamic law, and orientalism and stereotypes in Polish law, particularly in case-law. At the University of Wrocław, she will lead a Sonata grant, in which she will examine how Islam is presented in the European courts, as well as explore how religiousness and secularism are understood in European law. Also read: https://uwr.edu.pl/en/when-passion-translates-into-success/
Prof. Jarosław Jarząbek works at the Institute of International and Security Studies of the University of Wrocław. His research focuses on security policy, political systems, and armed forces in Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is a scholar at the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission. He is also the coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus Global Studies programme at the ISM at the UWr. Also read (the conflict’s background): https://uwr.edu.pl/en/israeli-palestinian-conflict/
Dr hab. Barbara Kowalczyk works at the Department of Comparative Public Administration, in the Institute of Administrative Sciences at the Faculty of Law, Administration, and Economics at UWr. She is the associate dean for education. Her research interests include immigration and asylum law, comparative administration, and European administrative law. She is a legal advisor and a participant in the Consultative Forum of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).
Dr Paweł Wróblewski works at the Institute of Philosophy at the Faculty of Social Sciences, where he leads the Research Lab on Prognostic Studies of Religious Transformations. He is a historian of ideas and a philosopher of religion, an expert in interreligious mediation and the analysis of environment of security in religious contexts (crisis and conflicts based on religion). He gained experience as an expert in criminal cases involving religious issues.
Report from the debate, including participation of protesting students:
Date of publication: 13.12.2024.
Added by: M.J.
Translated by Julia Wąsowicz (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
