Conflict in the Middle East –
UNIL takes legal action following the pro-Palestinian occupation
The dissemination of a list of professors linked to Israeli universities and damage to property prompted the University of Lausanne to initiate legal proceedings.
Published today at 11:02 a.m.
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The University of Lausanne (UNIL) made criminal charges following the pro-Palestinian actions of its students last May. At issue: the publication of a list of professors linked to Israeli universities and damage to property.
Revealed by RTS, the information was confirmed Thursday to Keystone-ATS by the Vaud Public Prosecutor’s Office. This indicates having received a denunciation (for the list) and a criminal complaint (for damage to property) from the UNIL, each of which is the subject of criminal proceedings.
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”.
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 In Geneva, a complaint was withdrawn after the site was liberated.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.
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