It was at the beginning of the week that Chalmers issued a ban on political demonstrations and posters on the campus and in Chalmers premises. The decision was made with reference to “the troubled world situation and strongly polarized social climate”, and that students and staff would feel safe.
Received harsh criticism
The decision was met with harsh criticism from several of the country’s cultural managers, including Johan Hilton at Göteborgs-Posten:
– Anti-Semitism is a real and profound social problem that has bubbled to the surface now. But what is being done here is allowing the small hateful minority to influence the freedom of expression of the larger majority, he says.
Even Victor Malm, head of culture at Expressen, is on the same track:
– There is nothing that solves societal anti-Semitism, but it only restricts their right to converse with each other really.
Want to get information instead
But today Chalmers backed away from his decision, citing “a changed security situation”.
– We were in a situation where many students and employees felt unsafe and now that situation no longer applies. Instead of having a ban, we want information before arranging a political demonstration, says principal Martin Nilsson Jacobi to Kulturnyheterna.
Do you regret introducing the ban in the first place?
– I regret parts of the decision, but I don’t regret the decision itself, because right then it was a decision I still think we had to make.