Universities around the world are becoming institutions where political and social tensions are increasingly felt, beyond being centers for producing science and educating young minds. Recent developments in the context of the Palestine-Israel conflict show how fragile freedom of expression can be even at universities. Examples from the US, Germany, France and Türkiye show that the academic world is going through a great test.
While Columbia University and New York University in the US are disciplining students and graduates who have made statements in support of Palestine, the freezing of federal funds has come to the agenda under pressure from the Trump administration. While Logan Rozos, who gave a peaceful message about Palestine in his graduation speech, had his diploma revoked, the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an immigrant academic, for weeks has caused public outrage. These incidents reveal not only the tensions on campus, but also the blurring of the boundaries between freedom of expression and state power. https://apnews.com/article/nyu-commencement-speech-israel-palestinian-b358e0bb6961b43e426c97d3c4cdd03f https://www.ft.com/content/ffbd55e4-c94e-442c-b1f1-3b53c14e3ac1
In Germany, the Free University (FU Berlin) canceled the speech of United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese due to political pressure. It was reported that the Berlin state senate and political actors outside the university were influential behind the decision. Such developments, where academic autonomy is undermined under the name of “public pressure,” indicate how politicized freedom of expression has become in Germany. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250213-german-university-cancels-event-featuring-un-special-rapporteur-on-palestine/
A similar picture is evident in France. Protests organized by students at the prestigious Sciences Po University were suppressed with harsh police intervention. A conference on Palestine at the University of Lille was canceled on the grounds of “public order.” France’s traditional values of “secularism” and freedom can be vulnerable to political sensitivities in a university environment. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/french-university-stirs-controversy-by-canceling-palestine-conference/3194629
The picture is much more serious in Turkey. Students and academics who speak out against the government’s domestic policies, rather than on the Palestinian issue, are facing systematic oppression. Peaceful events organized at universities are suppressed with disciplinary investigations and police interventions. While rectors often act as an extension of the political power, dissident academics are dismissed and students are intimidated. In this environment where the law does not function sufficiently, academic freedom is almost completely turning into a formal concept. https://tr.euronews.com/2025/04/07/yokten-universitelere-boykot-yazisi-idari-islem-yapin https://www.tr724.com/rejimin-yargi-silahi-gaziantep-operasyonu/
These developments clearly reveal the crisis that academia is in on a global scale. As institutions that produce not only knowledge but also value, universities should play a decisive role in protecting freedom of expression and intellectual pluralism. However, current conditions show that academic freedom requires not only legal regulations, but also courage, solidarity and a determination based on principles. These developments once again show that the phrase “Character is determined by decisions taken under pressure” is valid for both individuals and institutions. The international community must not see these examples as merely local issues, but must strengthen solidarity networks and place universities back at the centre of free thought and debate. Silence is not an option; the future of academia depends on the attitudes taken today.
