US Student Protests: University Leaders Must Listen and Protect Freedom of Expression
29 April 2024 | Article19
As student protests, which originally began at Columbia University, spread across the United States and beyond, ARTICLE 19 raises concerns about responses to these protests, and against support for Palestine on university campuses.
We condemn the use of force against protesters and violations of the rights to freedom of expression, protest, and academic freedom. We remind the authorities and university administrations that student protests and movements have been pivotal in many major social and political transformations. Academic institutions and university campuses hold a special role in a democratic society. We call for respect for human rights standards in the institutions’ responses to movements and actions on university campuses. We also urge university administrations and public officials to actively listen to concerns raised by students and the academic community and to address them in a meaningful way. Academia and university campuses must remain vibrant spaces for learning, discussion, protest, and dissent….