Copenhagen University has publicly stated that they will not take a position on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This announcement was made on the social media platform X, after a group of pro-Palestinian students had set up a tent camp on the university grounds as part of a demonstration. The university emphasizes that it does not have, nor will it develop, an institutional stance on the conflict. “Copenhagen University as an institution has no, and will have no, opinion on the ongoing conflict in Gaza,” the university’s post reads.
The demonstration and the establishment of the tent camp were the culmination of a series of demands from the students, including a demand for the university to acknowledge and condemn what they describe as a genocide of Palestinians. However, the university has made it clear that it will not interfere in political matters in that way. In their statement, the university also pointed out that both students and staff are free to express their personal views on the conflict, and they are welcome to do so on university premises.
“But the university’s leadership cannot and should not express an opinion on behalf of the university’s staff and students on political issues, including the ongoing conflict,” they added. This case raises questions about whether educational institutions should take a position on political conflicts, and what role they play as a forum for free exchange of opinions.