On 6 June, the University of Aberdeen provided an update on ongoing meetings and discussions with the anti-Israel encampment on their campus. One of the encampment’s demands is for the introduction of an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. While the University has not fully accepted this demand, they have stated, “we will not restrict the ability of our colleagues to progress their academic endeavours. However, we can confirm that there are no active institution-level agreements with universities in Israel and no intention to enter into any new agreements.” This open-ended statement, which allows academics to choose whether to boycott Israeli academics and institutions, fails to remind them of their duty to uphold the Equality Act 2010 and to avoid discrimination based on race, religion, or nationality.
The University has also confirmed that it has no intention of forming any future partnerships with Israeli universities or institutions. This indicates an unwritten policy of a broad academic boycott. We call on the University of Aberdeen to reconsider its statement in light of its failure to ensure that the Equality Act 2010 is not breached by the institution, its academics, and its support staff.
