STATEMENT OF THE FACULTY MANAGEMENT: FAMU - A SPACE FOR DIALOGUE

On 6 October 2025, expressions of solidarity with the civilian population in Gaza took place at Czech universities, accompanied by critical voices against the violence in the region. At FAMU, Palestinian flags and banners were displayed inside the faculty building. This was a student initiative, and the school’s management had not been informed about it in advance. The event was subsequently discussed at the regular meeting of the FAMU Academic Senate, which is open to all members of the academic community. During the meeting, critical opinions were voiced, and a factual debate took place about the timing and message of the entire action. The Senate adopted a resolution expressing concern over human rights violations and joined an appeal for solidarity with students and teachers in the war-torn area.

In recent days, FAMU has been subjected to a number of hateful reactions, threats, and insults in response to these events. This pressure demonstrates how easily public debate can deviate from the framework of factual and respectful dialogue.

FAMU unequivocally rejects all forms of verbal violence, antisemitism, and xenophobia, and it condemns ideologies aimed at suppressing fundamental human rights and freedoms. At the same time, it rejects claims that expressions of solidarity or compassion - whose form and timing may, of course, be the subject of legitimate discussion - represent the spread of hatred or the promotion of extremism. Such claims are false, dangerous, and harmful to both individuals and the institution as a whole.

The FAMU management stands by its students, teachers, and other staff members who demonstrate decency, factuality, and respect in their discussions. We strive to ensure that the faculty remains a space of openness and mutual respect, where disagreement and solidarity can be expressed freely, without anyone facing pressure or intimidation because of their views. The current attacks on members of the academic community are entirely unacceptable.

The English translation of the statement by the student initiative behind the event at FAMU on 6 October 2025:

Statement from the FAMU Solidary student group concerning The Semester Does Not Begin in Gaza initiative

We the students of FAMU across its Departments and different years of study organised a protest against the ongoing genocide in Gaza inside and, briefly, also in front of the FAMU building on Monday 6 October. Being students, we focused primarily on the destinies of our Palestinian peers for whom no semester began in October and, in many cases, will never begin again. The timing of our protest, which was coordinated with 13 other universities and one secondary school, was aligned with beginning of the academic year. The event took place without a single conflict and dozens of students who did not know about it in advance joined in as well.

The response we received in the subsequent days was primarily insults and lies rather than a matter-of-fact discussion. For pointing out the best-documented genocide in the history of mankind, our own teachers are labelling us as nazis, antisemites and terrorists in classes, e-mails and the media. Unlike promoting fundamental human rights, this behaviour has no place on academic soil. We resolutely reject their attacks and the misuse of their position within the Faculty.

We perceive neither our positions nor the symbols we have used as a display of disrespect towards Israeli victims or as antisemitism. The flags and slogans with which we have been protested request ending the genocide – that is to say, quitting violence that targets civilians and seeking a political solution which is the only thing that can stop the suffering of all the people stricken by this conflict. The most recent developments, with Israeli hostages being freed thanks to a ceasefire, only serve to support our stance. We perceive the actions of the Israeli regime in the past two years as misusing the hostages’ plight for achieving objectives of power, as protests organised in Israel have documented. This is why we actually consider defending the rule of Benjamin Netanyahu and his military actions to be a show of disrespect for human life on all sides of the conflict.

For a long time, the Israeli government has been labelling any criticism of its own actions as antisemitism. This is a false argument – states and their representatives must be criticised for committing crimes. The horrors that Jews suffered during World War II must never occur again, whatever the nation. Interpreting criticism of the state of Israel as antisemitism is a hazardous move that equates the entire Jewish ethnical group to the policy of one particular government. We have condemned the actions of the state of Israel alongside many Jews[1] all over the world as well as holocaust survivors.[2]

The untrue statement to the effect that our event took place on 7 October was adopted by the media, teachers and even the Rectorate of AMU although a proper press release informing about the initiative was available. None of the media that covered the event did as little as try to contact us so that we could comment for our part, whilst giving floor to a few popular voices. By contrast, we appreciate the discussion facilitated by the Academic Senate which, while far from uncritical, was mutually respectful. We perceive the criticism of displaying flags close to the date of remembrance of the massacre of Israeli civilians all the more hypocritical since the Israeli army continued killing civilians in Gaza both on the day of our protest and one day later.

Another tool that both the architects and the silent supporters of genocide are using is equating the rejection of genocide committed on the Palestinian people to encouraging the Hamas terrorist movement. That would be an attempt at labelling an entire nation including its children and students as terrorists who need to be eliminated. Everyone should realise clearly the atrocities to which these generalisations – and, in principle, lies – can pave way. Nobody at FAMU supports Hamas; everybody supports fundamental human rights.

We are not a voice of extremis and fanatism, as some of our opponents are trying to portray us. Even the UN refers to Israeli violence in Gaza as genocide[3]. Doctors Without Borders point out targeted starvation of civilians[4]. Long before 7 October 2023, Amnesty International[5] found that Israel was applying apartheid. The International Court of Justice has issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant for war crimes and crimes against humanity[6]. The list of globally recognised organisations that condemn Israeli government’s crimes is extensive and growing by the day. Does this mean that these organisations support terrorism? Are their antisemitic?

As students, we are solidary with our Palestinian peers. As the members of the academic community, we are horrified at the sight of universities levelled to the ground. As people, we feel compelled to speak out against this injustice.

We all hope for a fair and lasting peace. However, we will not keep quiet for as long as the ceasefire is disrupted by the murdering of civilians and hindering humanitarian aid. We are determined to continue raising and defending fundamental human rights and freedoms.

FAMU is and will remain solidary.

[1]https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
[2]https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/zahranicni-mezi-gazou-a-holokaustem-vidim-paralely-rika-prezivsi-nacistickych-hruz-285431
[3]https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/un-special-committee-finds-israels-warfare-methods-gaza-consistent-genocide
[4]https://www.lekari-bez-hranic.cz/aktuality/gaza-mira-podvyzivy-je-kriticka-jeden-inkubator-sdili-i-pet-novorozencu
[5]https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/
[6]https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-svet/izrael-benjamin-netanjahu-joav-galant-zatykac-icc_2411211303_ako