The Arab Association for Academic Freedoms Calls for the Widest Global Solidarity with the American and International Student Movements Defending Palestinian Rights
The Association urges for global solidarity with the student movement in prestigious American universities, which has expanded to include other universities and extended to Canada, Australia, and Europe. They demand an end to the genocidal war carried out by the Israeli occupation in Gaza and the accompanying horrendous crimes and violations of international law and humanitarian law that have affected Palestinian educational institutions and their staff. The Association condemns the suppression of the student movement, the arrest of participating students and professors, and the excessive use of violence against them, as well as the accusation of “antisemitism,” which supports Israeli war crimes. This suppression contradicts democratic principles and values upheld by the American Revolution and international agreements and declarations on academic freedoms. The Arab Association for Academic Freedoms denounces the repression of students and academics, the violation of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and organization, and the banning of some student organizations advocating for rights, justice, and peace. It calls for an end to arbitrary measures and the release of detainees, warning against succumbing to Israeli accusations of antisemitism, reminiscent of McCarthyism, which suppressed university movements in the past.
The Association expresses its support for the academic movement in American universities advocating for rights and humanity, calling on all Arab and international student and academic organizations to support this progressive movement. It encourages all forms of legitimate expression, organization, and assembly to demand an immediate end to the Israeli aggression in Gaza and pressure the US administration, world governments, university administrations, and higher education institutions to cease all forms of support for the Israeli occupation in its genocidal war against the Palestinian people. It also calls for respecting the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and their choice of development path for living in freedom, dignity, and independence, like other peoples of the world. The Association looks forward to the student movement spreading to various universities in Arab countries after expanding to European universities following American universities.
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