In a meeting of the university president with the Arab student cells before the beginning of the semester, he asked them to refrain from political activity in the first three weeks. Now, in the fourth and fifth week, the reasoning given for postponing the Hadash event is that there is a lack of security guards due to the recruitment of reserves, and therefore the university refrains from approving "external events that are not urgent." However, the events in question are not external but organized by students studying at the university. Furthermore, it is not clear on what basis it is claimed that the event planned by Hadash is not urgent: the event was about students' rights and standing in front of a disciplinary committee. Against the background of hundreds of inquiries from students across the country who have experienced political persecution, incitement and harassment, through the A4E hotline, the event is given urgent and important validity.
On January 31, we sent the heads of Tel Aviv University a letter of support for the appeal of the Hadash cell, and we joined the request to allow the event to take place, and to continue adopting this type of inclusive policy regarding other requests to hold political events. It is important that the university authorities clarify its commitment to allow all student cells to engage in political and public activity on campus, as long as it is not an activity that promotes racism, nationalism and other types of discrimination.
