A group of students on Monday occupied
the rectorate of Naples Federico II University to protest
against a call for proposals by the foreign ministry for
scientific cooperation with Israel, the latest in a series of
such protests at Italian universities.
"Today Federico II and its dean Matteo Lorito were woken up in
this way," said the Rete Studentesca per la Palestina (Student
Network for Palestine) group.
"We decided to take hard-hitting action by occupying the
rectorate offices as has already happened in Rome, Turin and
Bologna.
"We are tired of walking through our universities while lie
after lie is told, while places of knowledge are militarized on
the one hand - legitimizing a language of war that is more than
worrying - and depoliticized (on the other)."
The Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa's academic senate recently
requested the call for proposals to be reconsidered following
protests over the impact on the civilian population of Gaza of
Israel's war against Hamas sparked by the terrorist attacks of
October 7.
That came after Turin university's academic senate announced the
decision not to take part in the same call for proposals after
pro-Palestinian left-wing collectives occupied its premises.
Following that decision and the de-platforming of La Repubblica
editor Maurizio Molinari at the Federico II University a few
days earlier, Noemi Di Segni, the president of the Union of
Italian Jewish Communities, sounded the alarm at anti-Semitism
and anti-Israel sentiment at Italian universities.
"Every red line has now been crossed and concern about the
university situation is overflowing," she said.
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