The right to peaceful assembly, including the right to protest, is an essential element of democracy

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Sergio Romero, warned on Friday that the current crackdown on university protests poses a serious threat to democratic institutions and institutions, which could alienate an entire generation and weaken their awareness and ability to participate in the democratic process and fail to live up to their responsibility to prevent atrocity crimes and promote peace.

In a statement, Romero called on academic institutions to take immediate steps to guarantee the right to peaceful assembly on campus in support of international solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Through the investigation of multiple allegations and after speaking with some 150 students, faculty and staff from 30 countries, Romero revealed the prevailing hostile atmosphere surrounding the protests surrounding the Palestinian people and their victims in the university setting, stressing that this seriously hampers the exercise of people's rights to peaceful assembly and association.

Guarantee the right to peaceful assembly on campus

As the holidays end and universities around the world gradually resume peaceful gatherings and rejoin the global movement for Palestinian rights and lives, Israel and Palestinian solidarity groups are expected to hold commemorative mobilizations in October.

Romero urged academic institutions to recognize the importance of youth participation, respect their contributions in the promotion of human rights and justice, and immediately end stigmatization and hostility towards members of the academic community and remove fears and barriers to the exercise of rights.

She stressed that universities should actively promote and protect peaceful assemblies, prioritizing negotiation and mediation, and avoiding the use of law enforcement to disperse protesters. At the same time, she called on universities to end surveillance and reprisals against students and staff, ensure transparent and independent investigations into human rights violations, and provide effective remedies to those affected.

The power of educational institutions cannot be ignored

Romero said that universities and other educational institutions should learn from the experience of supporting the Palestinian solidarity movement, take up their social responsibilities, and recognize that their actions will have a profound impact on political discourse, culture, and civic education, which in turn will affect the sustainability of democracy and human rights.

Respecting and safeguarding dissent is an important prerequisite for ensuring that universities are spaces for free thought, expression and scholarship, she said.