Numerous universities in Türkiye have strongly condemned the disproportionate use of force by police against students participating in Gaza protests in the United States.
As protests in support of Gaza, which started at Columbia University a few days ago and have spread to various states, continue in the U.S., universities in Türkiye have issued a joint statement expressing support for the student protesters.
The statement published in Turkish and English on the universities’ official social media accounts said: “For over six months, peaceful students protesting the brutality aimed at innocent people in Gaza have been subjected to violence. Protesters from Columbia University to Yale, from New York University to Harvard are calling on their universities to support cease-fire efforts in Gaza and sever ties with companies linked to Israel.”
“Students are being detained during protests, and universities are transitioning to remote learning to halt the demonstrations. We consider the disproportionate response to the peaceful reaction of university students as a blow to basic human rights and academic freedom, and we deeply regret and strongly condemn it,” it added.
Additionally, some university rectors have supported U.S. university students participating in the Gaza protests by sharing the same statement on their personal social media accounts.
The statement was shared on the social media accounts of leading Turkish universities, including Middle East Technical University, Istanbul Technical University and Ankara University.
