Revealed by RTS, the seizure of justice by the University of Lausanne after the pro-Palestinian occupations was confirmed Thursday to Keystone-ATS by the Vaud Public Prosecutor’s Office. This indicates having received a denunciation (for the dissemination of a list of professors linked to Israeli universities) and a criminal complaint (for damage to property) from the UNIL, each of which is the subject of a criminal procedure.
Damage to property concerns tagging and damage to buildings. As for the famous list, drawn up by the pro-Palestinian collective active at UNIL, it mentioned the names of researchers and professors who had relationships with universities or the Israeli regime. Contacted by RTS, UNIL justified its criminal denunciation by saying it was “concerned by the impact of this publication on the personality rights and individual freedom of the researchers thus exposed.”
Complaint also filed in Friborg
Like several other universities in Switzerland and elsewhere, UNIL was shaken by pro-Palestinian actions last spring. The lobby of the Géopolis building was occupied for around ten days, sometimes by several hundred students. After several days of negotiations, the management of the alma mater made certain commitments to the students, but refused their main demand, namely an academic boycott of Israel.
In addition to UNIL, the RTS took an overview of other French-speaking universities linked to pro-Palestinian actions. The one from Friborg also filed a criminal complaint for trespassing. In Geneva, a complaint was withdrawn after the site was liberated. Ultimately, in Neuchâtel and at EPFL, no legal action was taken.
