Police prevent academics’ press statement, so they walk

* Photo: Academics for Peace

Click to read the article in Turkish

A group of academics from İstanbul University (İU) and İU Cerrahpaşa Medical School gathered at the Beyazıt Square in İstanbul and attempted to make a statement in support of Boğaziçi University students' and academics' ongoing protests against Prof. Melih Bulu, the appointed rector.

However, the police prevented the academics from reading out the statement. In response to this hindrance, they walked towards the streets of Vezneciler and read out the statement while walking.

Prof. Raşit Tükel, who was not appointed as a rector to İstanbul University in 2015 despite getting the highest rate of votes, was also there.

The academics could read out the following parts of the statement:

'We are no strangers to these interferences'

"We support everyone who uses their constitutional rights for academic freedom and university autonomy.

"We find it extremely dangerous that certain academics and student groups are targeted for allegedly organizing the peaceful protests which the constituencies of Boğaziçi University have been staging with the participation of a high number of people and in a meticulous manner to protect their institution; we demand a swift end to such provocative attempts.

"What has been happening at Boğaziçi University for over a month is a new example of the anti-democratic practices faced by several universities in Turkey in the past years. We are unfortunately no strangers to these interferences targeting the fundamental principles of university.

"In the rector election in 2015, the will of the university was disregarded and, instead of the candidate who received the highest rate of votes, the candidate who got the least votes was appointed.

"Afterwards, in 2018, our university was divided into two with its deep-rooted history and institutional identity disregarded.

"The period when the universities of Turkey have been ranking worse and worse in international rankings coincides with this period when the antidemocratic practices have intensified.

"In the face of all top-down decisions taken outside the autonomous and democratic processes of universities, we reiterate our objections that we raised in those days."

İü ve İÜ Cerrahpaşa hocaları Beyazıt Meydanı'nda polisin dağılın uyarısı üzerine yürüyerek basın açıklaması yapıyor! pic.twitter.com/sMhF2l9NDO

— Erhan Kelesoglu (@erhankelesoglu) February 11, 2021

"After the police urged the İÜ Cerrahpaşa professors to disperse, they are making the press statement by walking!"

(DŞ/SD)