Declaration of the closing plenum of the Conference on Academic Freedom and International Solidarity „Academia Under Attack“ on 12-13 April 2025, at the University of Hamburg*
Scientific freedom for international solidarity and just peace!
Mankind is richer than ever in terms of resources, technological advancements, and ideas. However, we face enormous challenges to overcome, among which climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and extreme inequality, rank among the greatest threats to all of us. In these times, it is essential that our energies be used for ensuring this planet can be inhabited by all people in a just and peaceful manner. Education and science are powerful drivers of progress, and we see it as our duty to work toward these goals or at the very least, not hinder them by engaging in military research and planning.
As academics, we stand against the growing xenophobia, militarization, and conservative nationalism that countries across Europe, including Germany, have embraced. In the midst of these developments that threaten the very idea of a university as a space for deliberation and dialogue, we strongly disapprove of the instrumentalization of universities as war-enabling infrastructures. These decisions made on behalf of academic institutions do not represent the views of all scientists working within these organizations, and in fact, do not represent us. For this reason, we emphasize the importance of implementing and adhering to the civil clauses across all faculties throughout Germany.
We also strongly condemn the German state’s military and ideological support for Israel, which has been implicated in crimes against humanity. We demand that the support for the ongoing scholasticide in Palestine be withdrawn, and that the brutal repression of students and academics who express their concerns about the German state‘s claims and policies be stopped immediately. We express our solidarity with the four students in Berlin who are facing deportation for their pro-Palestinian activism and participation in protests demanding an end to the genocide in Palestine. We firmly oppose this illegal attempt to further silence pro-Palestinian voices on campus and throughout Germany in general. Freedom for the Berlin Four!
We call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine, and for strong efforts toward a political solution to establish a just peace. To this end, the blockade of Gaza must be lifted immediately and all humanitarian measures in Gaza, the West Bank and East-Jerusalem must be addressed in accordance with international law.
As an immediate measure to counter such aggressive policies, we demand that our colleagues and institutions in Germany and beyond actively engage in civil, non-military, peaceful and sustainable cooperation, refraining from supporting Israel in its ongoing and unjust aggression toward Palestine. Furthermore, we urge our universities to establish scientific partnerships with Palestinian institutions to foster exchange and collaboration among German and Palestinian academics and students, as well as to fund scholars-at-risk programmes that assist Palestinian academics and students who have been impacted by these circumstances. We call for a plan and immediate efforts to rebuild facilities – with security guarantees – for Palestinian academics, students, teachers and educators in Gaza and the West Bank. We also call for establishing a Center for Palestine Studies in Germany to promote and preserve the knowledge and history of both historic and contemporary Palestine.
While any form of racism is unacceptable and should be challenged, we strongly oppose using the fight against antisemitism as an excuse to suppress Palestinian rights, as the parliamentary bill dated 29. January 2025 does to undermine academic freedom or target those who advocate for the liberation of Palestine. Our fight against antisemitism is part of the fight for equal rights for everyone! As civil society organizations, universities must advocate for the enforcement of humanitarian and international law – especially when their governments fail to do so! We stand against the merging of civilian and military research. We stand for adequate funding of universities, their democratic constitutions, and transparency regarding content, funding, and results of research, as this is a fundamental requirement for socially responsible science.
We call on all fellow students and colleagues to unite all efforts for democratic, social, and civil development in our universities and societies, and to establish university committees, movements, student organizations, political parties, and trade unions!
* Resolved by a large majority with three votes against and some abstentions.