Stellenbosch University (SU) students came out in protest against a statement by issued by the institution stating that it “believes differing view points” on the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict should “be shared and debated for greater understanding between opposing entities”.
Professor Wim de Villiers, rector and vice-chancellor of SU, released the statement speaking on the conflict in the Middle East a few weeks ago, saying that he recognises “the adverse geopolitical effects and the traumatic impact the humanitarian crisis” has on students.
However, students standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine have disagreed with the statement and called for the university to take a firm stance against Israel. In protest against the statement, students marched to SU’s Rooiplein, where an unauthorised night vigil was held on Friday (10 November) to mourn the lives lost in Palestine.
A previously planned night vigil that was arranged by the Palestinian Solidarity Forum (PSF), an SU student society, was allegedly also cancelled by the university due to exams and was also heavily criticised by students.
Final-year law student Aadila Muhamed said she believed the university was trying to silence activists.
“The timing of the genocide cannot be inconvenient to the university,” she said. “Stating we should prioritise our exams while people are dying is a ridiculous claim. How are we not allowed to mourn? I think the university was trying to silence us as activists and hence, we are here to say we won’t be silenced, but mourn the lives brutally taken by Israel.”
Muhamed described the statement by the university as “extremely inhumane”, adding that for the university to refer to the conflict in Gaza as a “situation” was insulting.
“The statement was extremely inhumane and the [vice-chancellor’s] continuously calling the genocide in Gaza an Israeli-Palestinian ‘situation’ is insulting as it minimises the actual events, which are acts of terror and not a situation.”
Another student and former SU Student Representative Council member Yadhein Padiachy called the university’s statement an “anti-Palestinian statement”.
“I believe any statement that’s neutral is a statement against something. For the [university] to call it a ‘situation’ or an ‘issue’ where students can have differing perspectives is essentially ignoring the struggles of Palestinians. I see their statement as anti-Palestinian.”
But SU spokesperson Martin Viljoen has, in turn, said the university upholds the principles of freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution, “within the boundaries of university policies and the law.”
He further said SU follows strict event protocols and the night vigil arranged by the PSF was apparently not in line with these, as it requires the organisers to apply seven days before the event, hence the planned gathering was cancelled.
“For the reasons provided and based on the exams that started the next week, the university didn’t grant permission to proceed with additional events (including the initial planned vigil) and this was communicated accordingly,” Viljoen said.
He didn’t comment on the unauthorised night vigil held last week, but said the university reaffirms its commitment to “principles of freedom of expression, peace, human rights, and International Humanitarian Law”.
Meanwhile a group of SU academic staff members and students released a statement condemning the acts of Israel in contrast to the statement issued by the university. In the statement issued last week the staff called for the immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“We also call for the end of the structural and military violence in Palestine,” it read. More than 150 academic staff have signed the statement, including Professor Nico Koopman SU’s deputy vice-chancellor for Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel.
