It comes after Turin University’s Senate decided not to take part in a scientific tender with Israel in protest at the civilian deaths in Gaza, pro-Palestinian collectives occupied the building and La Repubblica editor Maurizio Molinari was de-platformed at a Naples university on Friday.
“Every red line has now been crossed and concern about the university situation is overflowing,” Di Segni told ANSA.
In an open letter, Di Segni called on Giorgia Meloni, Higher Education and Research Minister Anna Maria Bernini and the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI) to “ensure that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition on anti-Semitism is fully implemented by all Italian universities, making it abundantly clear that all forms of boycott and demonisation are antisemitism”.
“The Italian university system cannot give in to disruption.
“[There has been] a worrying escalation in universities, with expressions of hatred towards Israel and Jews that in recent weeks have reached levels of very serious concern.”
Di Segni called for “certain episodes and situations to be curbed and avoided”, “favouring rather than isolating knowledge of the reality in Israel”.
“No to boycott, no to demonisation, no to violence and prevarication in Italian universities in the name of constitutional rights and academic motions that thus become a means of evasion and abuse, instead of an exercise of knowledge and respectful confrontation, so that Italian universities may be that place capable of generating innovation, knowledge and intelligence useful to the country and humanity, to peace and coexistence,” she continued.
ANSA
