Academic Freedom | Letter to UUK Regarding the Expert Statement by UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone DBE, FRSE

President, Universities UK

Sent via email: principal@st-andrews.ac.uk

Vivienne Stern MBE

Chief Executive, Universities UK

Sent via email: vivienne.stern@universitiesuk.ac.uk

cc. Jo Grady,

General Secretary, University and College Union

Sent via email: jgrady@ucu.org.uk

23 October 2024

Dear Professor Mapstone and Ms Stern,

We write on behalf of the Committee on Academic Freedom of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) to follow up on the recent expert statement by United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Gina Romero, in which she identifies systematic and concerted attacks on the student pro-Palestine movement, including by UK universities. 

Founded in 1973, BRISMES is the largest national academic association in Europe focused on the study of the Middle East and North Africa. It is committed to supporting academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region, both in the UK and globally.

As is noted in more detail in our statement welcoming the Special Rapporteur’s intervention, which we append to this letter, their investigation found that many universities “demonstrated limited understanding of their role and capacity to facilitate peaceful protests, including occupations and camps, in compliance with the international standards on the right to peaceful assembly.” 

This deeply troubling finding echoes concerns that BRISMES has received and expressed on multiple occasions since October 2023, regarding UK universities’ approaches to academic freedom and freedom of expression regarding Palestine/Israel.

BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom is calling upon all UK universities to implement the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations immediately and in full. We are writing to ask that you join us in this call and, specifically, that you announce what measures you plan to take to support member institutions to respect staff and students’ rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of association and of expression on their campuses. We believe that this is essential in order to restore confidence amongst staff and students that their rights to freedom of assembly, protest and expression will be respected and to safeguard UK universities as places of open intellectual exchange.

We look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Nicola Pratt    

BRISMES President           

Dr Lewis Turner

Chair of BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom 

On behalf of the Committee on Academic Freedom British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES)