This Wednesday (June 12, 2024), a UN commission of inquiry accused Israel of crimes against humanity: extermination, forced transfers, torture.
In response to the terrorist attack by Hamas Islamists which caused 1 200 victims in Israel, and the hostage-taking of 251 people on October 7, 2023, which the UN describes as war crimes, Israeli forces have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and operations continue . In European universities, mobilization also continues against this war.
In Romania, students expressed solidarity with Palestinian civilians; They even, rare in this country, set up a camp at the end of May 2024 in the gardens of the University of Bucharest. Report, Léonard Vincent.
This Wednesday (June 12, 2024), the police intervened at the University of Warsaw. Yesterday, students, who had been demonstrating since May 24, stormed the campus and blocked access. In particular, they demand a break in cooperation with institutions – including Israeli universities – linked to Israel’s military action. We find the same demands in Irelandwhere students from the prestigious Trinity College campus were among the first to win their case, in a country that recognizes the Palestinian state. Details from Clémence Pénard.
In Germany, the situation is much more tense… students who mobilize for Gaza often have to fight for the right to express themselves. In Bayreuth, a student association was taken to court after organizing a peace conference, and the police intervene regularly and sometimes brutally to clear out student camps. The history of the Shoah weighs heavily in the country, to the point of making any criticism of the Israeli government almost inaudible. The authorities are also extremely vigilant about anti-Semitic excesses: the president of the Technical University of Berlin found herself at the center of a controversy after liking a questionable tweet about Benyamin Netanyahu. The opposition even raised the subject in parliament. Delphine Nerbollier’s explanations.
Secularism
In Türkiye, the Erdogan government’s attacks on secular education are worrying more and more people, starting with the teachers. The new school programs, unveiled a few weeks ago, instruct them to educate “moral and virtuous” youth, with a lot of religious references. In this country with a very large Muslim majority, secularism is nevertheless enshrined in the Constitution. For his opponents, the Turkish president’s objective is above all political. Report from Istanbul, Anne Andlauer.
In a word: “gaslighting”
The legislative elections are approaching in the United Kingdom, They take place on July 4, 2024 and the Labor opposition, out of power since 2010, is the clear winner. Especially since Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, after a start to the campaign considered disastrous, including in his own party, must now face surprise competition from far-right leader Nigel Farage. Criticism is raining down on the conservatives in power, they have even been accused of “Gaslighting”. This word usually designates a form of control in the private sphere, but political leaders seem to have adopted it. Marie Billon’s explanations in London.