15/08/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Student clubs from Boğaziçi University announced that the administration censored the film screenings of the Cinema Club and asked the club to remove the term “BÜLGBTİA+” from its social media account.
37 student clubs and communities and the Student Representative Board of Boğaziçi University issued a joint statement regarding the censorship by the school administration. In the statement titled “We Do Not Accept Oppression and Censorship”, it was stated that the film screenings of Cinema Club BÜSK were censored.
“If we want, we can say we are watering the lawn that day, we can turn off the electricity”
The joint statement of the clubs described what happened as follows:
“On the morning of August 1, at 9:40 a.m., the Directorate of Culture, Arts and Activities Branch of the university administration called BÜ(S)K and summoned them to their office at 11:30 a.m. During the meeting, BÜ(S)K was threatened with the cancellation of all events due to some scenes in the movie Midsommar, which was shown on the evening of July 31st, and for which BÜ(S)K had been elected by a vote in the active member group, and for which content had been sent to the Culture, Arts and Activities Branch Directorate weeks in advance. It was claimed that the movie was “against our social values” and “violated people's freedom”. They were told that “this is a public university and such films will not be watched”.
“On the same day we were asked for copies of the films to be screened the following day. A few hours after the copies of the films were handed in, an email was sent that Night and Fog, Un Chien Andalou, Beau Travail and Burning, most of which had been approved the day before, had been censored, without any justification as to the reason for the censorship. In a new meeting, the censorship of Night and Fog, Un Chien Andalou and Beau Travail was reversed. However, they were told that some scenes in Burning, which was approved by the Ministry of Culture to be shown in theaters with an age limit of +15, “cannot be shown in a public university” on the grounds that they are “contrary to ethics, social morality and public wisdom”. Upon being told that this was not a valid justification, they were told that they did not need to rely on any regulation or law article, and that it was enough for them to say that they did not find it appropriate as the administration. “BÜ(S)K was threatened with impulsive statements such as “If we want, we can say we are watering the lawn that day, we can turn off the electricity.”
Threat to close their social media accounts too
According to the statement, the university administration also asked BÜSK to remove the expression BÜLGBTİA+ from their social media accounts. Following the closure of Boğaziçi University LGBTIA+ Club, many student clubs had written BÜLGBTİA+ on their social media accounts in solidarity.
The statement reacted to this attitude of the university administration as follows:
“Apart from this, it was ordered to remove the phrase BÜLGBTİA+ from social media accounts. Otherwise, they were threatened to have their social media accounts closed. When BÜ(S)K objected, saying that there was no regulation on social media in the statute, they were told, “We can change the statute if we want.” We will continue to stand by all queers who are targeted and attacked by power politics every day. BULGBTIA+ will continue to exist not in one club but in every club, even if it seems closed.”
“We do not accept the policy of censorship, pressure, ban and intimidation”
“We do not accept any kind of censorship, pressure, ban and intimidation policy applied to art and media,” the clubs' joint statement concluded:
“The fines imposed on online streaming platforms should be withdrawn immediately and censored content should be added back to libraries immediately! The arbitrary and unlawful access bans on websites must be lifted immediately! We will not give up, and we will make every effort to organize every event whose content is determined by our members and which we have announced that we will organize.”
BÜSK had been censored before
In the last month of 2023, Boğaziçi University Cinema Club (BÜSK) was prevented by the school administration from showing the film “Benim Çocuğum” (My Child), which tells the story of parents whose children are LGBTI+. On December 19, BÜSK announced that they had received the necessary permissions days in advance, but two hours before the screening, they were blocked by the school administration. When the club asked for information from the school, they were told that “the screening of the same documentary was not allowed before and will not be allowed now”.
On July 22, 2022, the club was prevented from screening 'My Child', 'Laurence Anyways' and 'Go' without justification and without a written decision. Following this ban, the club had planned a new screening of these films on August 3. The Rectorate, on the other hand, banned the club for a month on the grounds of “violating the rules of organizing events” and dismissed the club's board of directors.
How was BÜLGBTIA+ shut down?
The anti-LGBTI+ provocation initiated due to a work of art in an exhibition organized as part of the protests that started in January 2021 at Boğaziçi University resulted in the police raid of the room used by the school's LGBTI+ Studies Club and the subsequent closure of the club.
The lawsuit filed on May 12, 2021 demanding a stay of execution on the closure of the club was concluded. Istanbul 11th Administrative Court rejected the request for the cancellation of the closure of the club with its decision in April 2022.
Tags: human rights, arts and culture, education
