18/01/2021 | Writer: Yiğit E Korkmaz
Izmir University Solidarity, founded by university students, academicians and university staff, published its foundation statement.
Izmir University Solidarity, founded by university students, academicians, and university staff after the trustee academic president’s appointment to the Boğaziçi University, says "It’s our commitment to eradicate the speciesist, racist, sexist, LGBTI+phobic, classist discourses in our campuses."
The founding declaration of İzmir University Solidarity, which took action upon the demonstrations against the appointment of AKP's parliamentary candidate Melih Bulu to Boğaziçi University as the academic president, is as follows:
"Hello to students, academics, workers, minorities, women, LGBTI+'s; in short, to masses crushed under the system's clamps, hello.
“The growing reactions to the trustee academic president appointed to Boğaziçi University, excited us all. The demonstrations that spread all over the country revealed the need to amass us students, academics and staff, ie all components of the universities. It is this need that brings us, Izmir University Solidarity, together.
“The government that has tried to dominate and control the academy for many years, that aims to turn universities into their strongholds by using the law as their stick is what brings us together. It is the demand for democracy that we raise in unison against all the injustices that exist in this society that brings us together.
“It is our commitment to eradicate the speciesist, racist, sexist, LGBTI+phobic, classist discourses in our campuses that brings us together during these days of racial, lingual, religious, and identity, sexual orientation and disability-based division.
“We are together because we are stronger together. We believe in our strength and know that we can change. We declare that we have established Izmir University Solidarity with the awareness that we must be a part of this fire sparked by the Boğaziçi demonstrations.
“We call on all university components in İzmir to hold their struggle in the İzmir University Solidarity. Let's step forward for equal, free, scientific education. Let's all shout out our demand for free and autonomous, democratic universities.
“UNIVERSITIES ARE OURS; WE WILL LIBERATE THEM!”
Tags: human rights, education
