🇵🇸 Peaceful Student Encampment of the University of Wrocław

The last Friday of September at the occupation protest was very productive – we spent the whole day participating in art workshops and screen printing. At 6:00 PM, we joined a conference of The Student Intifada initiative, where, along with representatives from pro-Palestinian protest actions at Harvard University (USA), Metropolitan Autonomous University (Mexico), and American University in Cairo (Egypt), we had the opportunity to share our actions and the ideas driving them.

As "Academia for Palestine" (a National Association of Strike, Occupation, and Protest Committees), we participated in a meeting of the Polish-Palestinian parliamentary group. The main topic was expanding scholarship support for students of Palestinian origin.

During the meeting, Wojciech Konieczny (Ministry of Health) noted the need to renegotiate the 2019 agreement regarding the admission of Palestinians to medical studies, as its provisions no longer align with the current situation.

On the other hand, Andrzej Szeptycki (Ministry of Science and Higher Education) did not see the need to renegotiate the 2022 memorandum, which only provides five scholarship places for Palestinian students. Furthermore, he responded negatively to our proposal to increase the number of scholarships under the Stefan Banach program, funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (currently five places), or to create a special recruitment and scholarship path through NAWA. He argued that the situation in Gaza, in his opinion, does not currently meet the high threshold of exceptionalism.

In the face of ongoing "scholaricide," we believe that supporting the Palestinian academic community is not just a matter of goodwill, but a moral obligation for both the rectors of Polish universities and the government. We cannot understand how the total destruction of all 12 universities, the killing of nearly 400 teachers, including almost 100 professors, 9,000 students, and 3 university rectors could be considered insufficiently exceptional.

It was difficult for us to understand why the meeting's participants primarily raised doubts and legal obstacles rather than focusing on the concrete actions that, in our opinion, need to be taken.

We hope that today's meeting convinced decision-makers of the necessity of implementing real support for Palestinian students and that we will soon see the results of these efforts.

An attempt at initiating concrete actions could already be heard in Andrzej Szejna's (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) statement, informing that the MFA had already approached the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to increase the number of scholarships for Palestinian students. He also suggested issuing an appeal to Polish university rectors to grant scholarships and allocate places for Palestinian students. Szeptycki also agreed to this proposal and pledged to send such a request to the heads of Polish universities.

This is particularly important given that the demands of striking students are often not even negotiated – as is the case at the University of Wrocław, where, after 116 days since the start of the occupation protest, Rector Robert Olkiewicz has not initiated talks to address the protesters' demands. This calls into question the university's values, not only due to the complete disregard for students' demands, which touch on the ethical and social responsibilities of the academy but also the refusal to listen to the student community's voice of dissent. In our opinion, this contradicts the Academy's declared core and universal value – openness to dialogue and the pursuit of truth, even through substantive conflict.

Today, the Senate of the University of Wrocław held a meeting. We gathered in front of the Oratorium Marianum and informed senators about our protest by distributing leaflets.

Leaflet contents:

We are students of the University of Wrocław who have decided to express our opposition to the Academy's inaction in the face of the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in the Gaza Strip. For 115 days, we have been demanding from our Rector a clear and firm condemnation of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza and the illegal occupation of Palestine. We demand that collaborations with Israeli academic institutions contributing to the ongoing genocide and Israel's colonial policy be severed. We also ask for support for the Palestinian academic community by creating support programs for students of Palestinian origin and assisting Palestinian academics who, due to the ongoing "scholaricide" – such as the bombing of all universities in Gaza – have been deprived of research infrastructure.

We believe this is an excellent time to reflect on the duties and values of a university – such as its ethical and moral social responsibility.

Unfortunately, for 115 days, we have not had any negotiations with the Rector regarding our demands – despite sending invitations, Prof. Robert Olkiewicz has chosen to completely ignore the occupation protest, thus, in our opinion, forgetting one of the most important and universal values of the Academy – openness to dialogue.

We have noticed that the topic of our protest was not included in today's Senate meeting agenda. We understand that our demands may evoke various opinions, but we do not believe that complete ignorance is an appropriate response to the current situation. Especially at UWr, whose mission includes fostering civic engagement among its students.

We ask for a discussion on our demands, and we ask for dialogue, where we could share our motivations, trying to seek the truth – just as we have been taught – through substantive conflict and an exchange of views.

It is worth noting that we are the only university in Poland where negotiations have not taken place. Undoubtedly, we also stand out in this regard on a global scale. We have not heard of other universities where academic staff have been forbidden to engage in conversations with protesters – but we know this happened at ours.

We do not want the university to be empty, silent, and passive. We do not want it to shut itself behind the Rector's four walls. We dream of an active university, full of discussions, responsive to current challenges, and addressing the problems of contemporary times. We do not want an academic community that fears disputes, conflicts, and difficult discussions. We want an academic community that openly expresses its opposition, is aware of its social responsibility, and embraces the ethical and moral values that its institution should represent.

We are not interested in a university whose primary concern is metrics, corporate expansion, and finances. We are fighting for a university true to its declared values, unafraid to express its opinion, and using its autonomy as a tool for seeking truth, not as a maneuver to sidestep socially significant issues or to conceal misconduct, irregularities, and corruption.

Additionally, a discussion on decolonizing knowledge took place at the encampment protest site.

During today’s meeting of the UWr Senate, the minutes from the session held on 19.06.2024 were accepted.

We were very pleased to see that the topic of our protest – which at the time had been ongoing for just over two weeks – was one of the key points discussed during the meeting.

However, we are concerned about how our actions were presented to the UWr community and that the matter was discussed solely for informational purposes, without any conclusive actions – there was no vote on meeting our demands or the necessity of starting negotiations.

We are particularly worried by the fact that incomplete and one-sided information, viewed only from the administration’s perspective, was presented to the UWr Senate. For this reason, we would like to address the minutes by offering a different perspective – one based on a broader range of factors and facts, rather than just the two letters we received, delivered by courier.

We are puzzled by the reference to „false information” regarding the stance of the rector’s authorities being circulated in the public sphere – in the media, we have always presented the facts. Namely, the UWr rectoral authorities are refusing to negotiate with us, are not responding to corrections in the letters we send them, and are violating the mutually agreed rules, whereas the protesters have consistently adhered to them.

As a side note, we are curious about the meaning of the black rectangle in the minutes posted in the public information bulletin.

We are glad that it was noted that on 03.06 an agreement was indeed signed between the protesters and UWr authorities. However, vacating rooms to conduct teaching is only one of the nine points of the signed rules and is conditional upon exceptional circumstances – such as the inability to relocate classes to another teaching room. Other points refer, interestingly in the context of communication with UWr authorities, to the absence of reprisals against protesters, recognition of the protesters as part of the academic community, and most importantly – negotiations.

For this reason, we are unsure whether stating that the rules pertain to something „primarily” is an accurate representation of the situation.

Referring to the “incident” itself – we did not refuse to allow classes to take place in our room. We merely pointed out that other rooms with the same equipment were available. The external guest was a Palestinian who wanted to share his story and learn about our activities. The professor leading the class had announced that it would last 30 minutes, but it ended up lasting a total of 3 hours.

For this reason, based on the possibility of relocating the class to another room with the same audiovisual equipment just two floors above, the protesters reported the issue to the Dean of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences (WNHiP). In conversation with a protesting student, the Dean admitted that the rules had been violated by UWr but that it was “only the first time” and chose not to interrupt the professor’s lecture. As a result, the class – which ultimately lasted 3 hours – took place in full.

Moreover, from the beginning of our protest, we have made it clear that we do not wish to disrupt students’ education, as they are neither the targets of our demands nor are we fighting for a better university to hinder the educational process.

This was confirmed during yesterday’s meeting with the management of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, during which we agreed to make rooms available for classes twice a week, when it is not possible to relocate classes within the entire IEiAK unit or the building. We also inquired about the requirements for adapting the room for educational purposes.

In doing so, we – the protesters – will not vacate the room during this time, but this is not for the purpose of „disrupting” the teaching process, but rather due to the necessity of maintaining the occupation of the room, as we have declared an occupation protest.

Today, we held talks with the management of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. Due to the inability to relocate classes on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:45 AM to 12:15 PM, we agreed for them to be held in Room 2. We also signed a document to formalize this.

Additionally, as every Tuesday, the book club held its reading discussions.

The day was spent planning activities for the upcoming academic year. Despite returning to academic responsibilities, we aim to maintain our educational and cultural program and continue the encampment's vibrant activity on a systemic level, beyond just the university.

We continued the protest at the University of Wrocław. Throughout the day, many students expressed interest in joining our protest action in the upcoming academic year. In the evening, together with our friends from Palestine, we prepared knaffe – a traditional Palestinian dessert.

We continued the occupation of the university buildings. Two more people joined us.

Yesterday (September 20), another round of talks took place between protesting students and representatives of the University of Wrocław (UWr). Once again, both sides recognized the urgent need to begin negotiations as soon as possible.

UWr officials urged the protesting students to demonstrate a "goodwill gesture" by vacating one of the four occupied rooms as a precondition for negotiations.

The protest representatives reiterated that it was impossible to make such a concession without a corresponding action from the UWr administration, such as fulfilling one of their demands. As a "goodwill gesture," the students proposed a potential directive drafted by them for the UWr Rector, which, if signed, would fully satisfy their demands and bring an end to the protest.

However, the university representatives did not offer any concessions, instead arguing that the "goodwill gesture" should be interpreted as the absence of repressive measures—such as not calling the police or initiating disciplinary actions against the students.

We are uncertain whether withholding police intervention or not expelling students for exercising their constitutional right to protest, especially on a critical issue like the value of life and solidarity with a nation currently facing ethnic cleansing, qualifies as a "goodwill gesture" from UWr.

Furthermore, we find it inappropriate to demand a "goodwill gesture" from the protesters after they were ignored for 110 days, especially when this would mean vacating one of the occupied rooms.

We do not understand why the Rector requires further assurance of our willingness to negotiate, especially after the numerous invitations we've sent to start talks, most of which were left unanswered.

In our view, vacating one of the rooms will only allow the continued disregard of our protest and prolong the negotiation process indefinitely, rather than leading to a swift resolution that satisfies both sides.

The protesters emphasized that the UWr administration has known their stance since June 3. However, the protesters remain unaware of the official position of the University of Wrocław regarding the 110-day occupation of the building at Szewska 50/51.

The UWr representatives stated that the university's position is that they want to secure the occupied rooms as soon as possible and restore them to their educational functions.

We find it shocking that after 110 days of protesting against genocide and the illegal occupation of Palestine, the only official response from the university is the desire to reclaim the rooms.

We believe that an institution like UWr, which declares its social responsibility and ethical and moral values, should not, on one hand, ignore an ongoing genocide, and on the other, reduce the meaning of a protest against this indifference solely to material issues like room availability.

Our "goodwill gesture" is that we have limited the protest to one building, two institutes, and four rooms for the past 110 days, especially as our numbers continue to grow.

We are not afraid of repression. To be honest, we are unsure what disciplinary charges we might potentially face. The UWr representatives also did not provide specifics on this matter.

Let’s negotiate!

Not the conditions to start negotiations,
but the ways to fulfill the demands!

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the university and welcomed new individuals interested in joining the protest.

Amid the ongoing flood crisis, we continued securing not only the occupied institutes but also the most at-risk areas of Wrocław.

Due to the alarming hydrological situation, we decided to cancel the Solidarity March for Palestine, "All Eyes on the West Bank." Instead, we participated in relief efforts, filling sandbags and securing flood barriers near Jeleniogórska and Główna streets in Stabłowice and by the Church on the Sand. Solidarity is our weapon in every humanitarian crisis!

Today, from the morning, we helped secure the archives of the Institute of Archaeology on Koszarowa Street and the Archdiocese Archive. We also secured the flood barrier near the Rehabilitation Care Center run by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth.

Due to the rapidly evolving flood situation, we canceled the scheduled Literary Discussions.

We remind everyone that you can send us donation links to help those affected by the flood.

In light of the flood alert, today we prepared ourselves for potential threats. We are very grateful for all the supplies and concern—at the moment, we have enough water, food, medicine, and hygiene products!

We also helped secure the archaeological excavations of the UWr Institute, some of which are stored in the basement on Szewska Street. Tomorrow, some of us will assist in further evacuating objects from the building on Koszarowa Street and books from the UWr Library. We are crossing our fingers for minimal losses in Wrocław and stand in solidarity with the residents of Lower Silesia who have suffered damage due to the flood. At the moment, we cannot offer much more, but we encourage sending us verified fundraising efforts—we will share them on our social media!

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the University.

Another meeting of the Peaceful Encampment Workshop took place, during which we continued the collective creative process by painting a shared artwork about Palestine and the Palestinian people. We also prepared for the upcoming march, "All Eyes on the West Bank," which will take place on Wednesday (September 18) at 6:00 PM.

On September 13, 2024, at the invitation of the protesters, the occupied UWr building at Szewska Street 50/51 was visited by the newly appointed Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Dr. Łukasz Prus, and the Dean of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences, Prof. Paweł Klint.

The Vice-Rector for Student Affairs suggested that the protesters express their willingness to begin negotiations by vacating one of the four rooms they were occupying. The protesters rejected this proposal, signaling that they would only consider concessions once negotiations had started and their demands were being met by the UWr authorities. They emphasized that they had only escalated the protest by occupying the fourth room after waiting a long time for negotiations to begin. They also declared that they would not occupy more rooms if negotiations actually commenced.

During the conversation, both sides recognized the need to begin negotiations as soon as possible. The university authorities, due to the upcoming academic year, and the protesting students, due to the urgent need to address the demands they have been making since May 27, 2024.

The Vice-Rector for Student Affairs expressed concern about whether the ongoing occupation might infringe upon the constitutional right to education. The protesters pointed out that the protest would continue into October due to the inaction of the authorities, not the whim of the occupying students. Moreover, the right to protest is also constitutionally guaranteed, and the protesters’ actions include allowing classes to take place if relocation is not possible. Furthermore, they have been demanding negotiations since June 3, and their requests for talks about meeting their demands had been ignored.

The UWr authorities repeatedly emphasized that, "so far," the University of Wrocław had not escalated its actions, despite having the means to do so. It was argued that UWr had refrained from taking any repressive measures against the protesting students. Examples of such actions were given, referencing legal sanctions, citing the measures taken by another university—Oxford—where disciplinary actions and suspensions were issued against protesting students.

The UWr Dean also acknowledged that he and the heads of the Institutes occupying the buildings had been instructed not to conduct talks with the protesting students. Both the UWr authorities and the protesters agreed on the necessity of initiating talks—both in terms of negotiations and a public academic debate, where experts on topics such as international law and human rights could also contribute.

At the end of the conversation, the protesters requested further concrete steps. The Vice-Rector for Student Affairs proposed a follow-up meeting to discuss the specifics of the issues raised during the meeting. This will likely take place on September 20, 2024.

We are very pleased that we are finally starting a dialogue with the university authorities. However, it saddens us that the reason for this is the approaching academic year and the practical problems caused by the protest, rather than a sense of ethical and moral responsibility on the part of the UWr authorities, which is embedded in the values declared by the University. Nonetheless, we hope that negotiations will begin as soon as possible and that today’s conversation is the first step—after 103 days—that the University has taken in that direction. We are glad that this step was taken by the new Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, as it suggests the possibility of new standards regarding the recognition of students' needs and voices.

Arabic lesson – film screening, and the song Ya Zarif Attul again.

Collage-making workshops were held in Wrocław, while the delegation in Warsaw had a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (report on Instagram).

It was the 100th day of our encampment. On the same day, an article about us was published in OKO.press.

Additionally, a book club meeting took place.

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the University.

Collective banner painting. Many people visited us!

On this day, some of us were on a delegation in Krakow.

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the

On this day, some of us were on a delegation in Krakow.

Meeting with the occupying students: "What have we achieved and how to join the encampment?" followed by handing another letter to the Rector.

On this day, some of us were on a delegation in Krakow.

Arabic lesson – songs Wea'ayouneha, Ya Zarif Attul (و عيونها٫ يا ظريف الطول).

For dinner, we enjoyed a delicious shakshuka.

The Palestinian Culture Day was a great success! The Arabic music concert was exceptionally beautiful, we managed to flip a giant maqluba, and a large crowd attended.

Thank you to all the visitors!

Photos by Konrad (Instagram).

Preparations for the upcoming fair continued during the encampment. Screen printing, major cleaning, planning...

Preparations for the upcoming fair continued during the encampment.

The "Books Not Bombs" solidarity march for Palestine delighted us with the turnout.

We marched from the Fencer at University Square, through Szewska Street, down the side streets of the Old Town, past the garrison church, stopped at Solny Square, and then continued along St. Anthony Street to the Allegory of Struggle and Victory at 1st May Square.

Photos (by Konrad Żurawowicz) from the march:

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the University.

Film screening with a lecture and discussion – Recollection (2015), dir. Kamal Aljafari.

The Arabic lesson was canceled on this day.

An article written by one of the occupiers was published in Gazeta Wyborcza, in response to Sergiusz Kowalski's text about the pro-Palestinian student protests.

Our text in Gazeta Wyborcza

Sergiusz Kowalski's text

Collective banner painting.

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the University.

Online meeting with Dr. Patrycja Sasnal - a Polish Arabist. Artistic workshops - mixed media techniques. Once again, we handed the Rector a letter inviting him to hold talks with the occupying students.

The eleventh Arabic lesson. Vocabulary related to hospitals.

Poetry workshops and a slam with Anke from the Kolektyw Komitet group. We received a letter from the Rector correcting the list of University collaborations with Israeli institutions, following our highlighting the presence of Bar-Ilan University on the list of UWr's partnerships within the Erasmus+ program, which was omitted in the Rector's previous statement. The content of the letter was as follows:

Dear Madam,

I am supplementing the information regarding the collaboration of the University of Wrocław with Israeli academic institutions, research centers, and other organizations and companies - I would like to point out that the University of Wrocław also collaborates with Bar-Ilan University in Israel in terms of student and staff exchange and in supporting research and academic cooperation between the two institutions. I would like to clarify that the omission of information about the collaboration with Bar-Ilan University was due to an oversight by a UWr employee.

RECTOR
Prof. Dr. hab. Robert Olkiewicz

On this day, the third meeting of the Reading Discussions series took place - a book club-style discussion group where texts on the Palestinian issue are discussed. We initially planned to hold the discussions in Polish, but due to the presence of English speakers, we agreed to switch to English. The text discussed was the introduction and the chapter "Latent and Manifest Orientalism" from Edward W. Said's Orientalism. A record number of participants attended, and the discussion lasted over two hours.

No specific events took place on this day. The students continued occupying the University.

At 1:00 PM, the "Boycott for Palestine" demonstration took place, calling for a boycott of companies supporting Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

The content of the speeches will be shared soon.

Collective artistic process - painting with Filip. We published a letter calling on the Rector of UWr to begin talks with the protesting students.

The press conference focused on the public information provided by the University regarding collaborations with Israeli academic institutions and our subsequent actions.

Apart from the press conference, a meeting was held on the topic of racism in Poland.

Text Delivered at the Press Conference:

On July 19, 2024, we received a list of collaborations between the University of Wrocław and Israeli academic institutions, research centers, and other organizations and companies. This is potentially the first demand we have achieved, interestingly, without engaging in negotiations—because we requested the list through a public information request, leaving the university no choice but to create and share the document. The University of Wrocław was unable to complete this within the legally stipulated time, sending the document after extending the review period, after 47 days.

Interestingly, it took us, the protesting students, just 13 days to compile such a list, and on June 16, we published the related information on our social media channels. Moreover, our notes from that day, based on grassroots student research without access to the university's database, are far more detailed and comprehensive than those provided to us by the University of Wrocław. This is mainly because, unlike the document provided by the university, our notes contain information on the nature of the collaborations, the projects involved, the budget, specific coordinators, and the start and end dates of the research.

We do not understand why the university administration needed much more time than the legally mandated two weeks to create a document containing three sentences related to collaborations, which lack specific information that would allow us to understand the actual scope of the collaboration between the University of Wrocław and Israeli institutions. In our opinion, this is yet another expression of the university authorities' incompetence and further evidence that the University of Wrocław's Rectorate, in our opinion, does not take the student protest seriously. This is mainly because we believe the document provided does not fulfill its function of accurately detailing the scope of collaborations. Without this, it is impossible to assess how feasible it is for the University of Wrocław to terminate these collaborations and what legal acts bind the agreements between our university and Israeli institutions. Looking at the list provided by the University of Wrocław, we wonder whether the lack of specifics is an attempt to make it more difficult for us to prove our case—that breaking off these collaborations is morally necessary and legally possible.

For this reason, we would like to present what we believe a document providing a list of collaborations between the University of Wrocław and Israeli institutions and companies should look like. Using examples of such documents from Leiden University and the University of Ljubljana, we would like to present to you, and to the University of Wrocław administration, a document that, by gathering specific and detailed information, allows for the beginning of substantive negotiations and discussions about meeting our demands. We see this public presentation of information, which the University of Wrocław chose not to disclose in its letter, as an invitation to engage in a substantive and factual discussion about implementing the demands we have made.

In the University of Wrocław document, we read:

In response to the public information request submitted to the University of Wrocław on June 3, 2024, pursuant to the Act of September 6, 2001, on Access to Public Information (Journal of Laws of 2022, item 902), regarding the cooperation of the University of Wrocław with Israeli academic institutions, research centers, and other organizations and companies, I hereby indicate that the University of Wrocław cooperates with the following entities:

Naturally, we have no objections to this part.

The first collaboration mentioned in the document is, quoting the University of Wrocław's response:

1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel:

• In the field of implementing an effective combination of medications to improve therapy against Klebsiella pneumoniae – the bacteria causing pneumonia.
• Cooperation in the exchange of students and staff.

In our opinion, apart from the fact that the University of Wrocław's document lacks specific and substantive information, it relies solely on a laconic sentence that closes off any possibility of discussion in the context of our proposed demand to sever cooperation with Israeli academic institutions. Therefore, we believe the collaboration should be presented as follows:

1. Collaboration with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

• In the field of implementing an effective combination of medications to improve therapy against Klebsiella pneumoniae – the bacteria causing pneumonia.
  • Project conducted under the KLEOPATRA project.
  • Collaboration between the University of Wrocław, the Catholic University of Leuven, Sorbonne University, the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Germany, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, INVITRIS SME in Germany, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
  • The University of Wrocław is the project coordinator.
  • The project budget is €1,321,781.
  • Project duration: June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2026.
  • Project funded under the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance, which received funding under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreements No. 681055 and 9638641.¹
• Cooperation in the exchange of students and staff.

Why might this cooperation raise concerns?

• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was involved in introducing typhus bacteria into rivers in villages from which Palestinians had already been expelled to prevent their return and also to poison water sources in residential areas where the Palestinian population still lived.²
• The university led archaeological excavations that displaced Palestinians, conducted on occupied Palestinian territories, focusing on highlighting Jewish history at the expense of concealing Palestinian history.³
• In 2018, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem won a tender to run an elite study program for soldiers of the Intelligence Corps as part of their military training. Winning the tender meant meeting increased military requirements, specifically significant military intervention in the program's content, structure, staff, and campus infrastructure. Students in the program sleep, study, and eat in a dormitory designated as a "closed military base." Few faculty members opposed the program's launch, but Palestinian students who filmed a protest against the program's continuation were attacked by right-wing student groups, and the university authorities demanded the material be removed from the internet.⁴
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem trains Shin Bet personnel—the internal security service—responsible for implementing the Lavender program, used by the Israeli army in Gaza to facilitate the bombing of non-military targets and classifying specific individuals, including independent journalists, as "force targets," allowing for the killing of 20 to 100 civilian casualties as "collateral damage" in strikes on these so-called targets.⁵
• The university's criminology department advertises itself as a pioneer in "counter-terrorism" science, promoting "proven in practice" strategies. These strategies have been condemned internationally for violating Palestinians' rights.⁶
• The university participated in the systematic and illegal expropriation of Palestinian land as part of the national "Judaization" policy.⁷
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem actively intimidates and silences critical student voices.⁸

Returning to the University of Wrocław document, the second mentioned cooperation is:

2. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel:
   • In the field of research on innovative nuclear receptor particles in the fight against cancer recurrence.
   • An agreement was made to promote scientific progress through research exchange and cooperation in teaching through the exchange of students, lecturers, and staff, organizing joint lectures and seminars, and research projects.
   • Cooperation in the exchange of students and staff.

The lack of specifics in describing this cooperation almost makes it impossible to create our version of the document. There is no information on whether the mentioned agreement in the second point is an individual agreement between universities or perhaps part of a project like NAWA or another international project. We also do not know if we are talking about the entire University of Wrocław or specific units (e.g., the Institute of Mathematics or the Department of Jewish Studies, where researchers from Ben-Gurion University are hosted). We do not know the agreement's budget, its nature, expiration date, or any details regarding its scope. In our opinion, this makes it impossible to accurately understand the legislative nature of the cooperation because we do not know which legal acts bind and condition this cooperation.

This puts the actual fulfillment of our demand, in our opinion, into question, as the scope of cooperation has not been presented to us by the University of Wrocław authorities. After all, we did not request public information from the University of Wrocław to receive information that we could find ourselves and, indeed, have found. We expected the university authorities to take our request seriously and, following the example of Western universities, create a list containing precise information that could be translated into discussions about the ethics of the undertaken collaborations and the necessity of potentially terminating them in light of current events.

Nevertheless, we found much more detailed information regarding the first mentioned collaboration with Ben-Gurion University, which we believe should be described as follows:

2. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel:
   • In the field of research on innovative nuclear receptor particles in the fight against cancer recurrence.
   • Project conducted under the Eradicate project, in working group No. 1: Anticancer mechanisms of RAR and VDR ligands.
   • Collaboration between the University of Wrocław, the University of Birmingham, and Ben-Gurion University.
   • The main coordinator of the project is the Medical University of Vienna.
   • The project budget is €2,526,933.60.
   • Project duration: January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2027.
   • Project funded by the European Union (Project Number: 101119427)⁹

Why might this cooperation raise concerns?

• Ben-Gurion University has played a central role in the "Judaization" project of the Naqab (Negev) region since the university's founding in 1967.¹⁰
• Ben-Gurion University closely collaborates with the military, e.g., Ben Gurion's commercial company—BGN Technologies—conducts joint research with Rafael, Elbit, IAI, and Lockheed-Martin, and this collaboration is crucial for the Israeli military industry.¹¹
• Ben-Gurion University supports relocating a large campus of intelligence bases to Naqab, which will require further expropriation of Palestinian land (including the eviction of thousands of people).¹²
• Based on a Ben-Gurion University senate resolution concerning the "anti-Zionist bias" of some academics, lecturers expressing their "political views" cannot mention the name of the university they work for.¹³
• Palestinian students protesting against Israeli oppression face brutal repression. ¹⁴

Returning again to the University of Wrocław document and the last mentioned collaboration:

3. Tel Aviv University in Israel:
   • Cooperation in the exchange of students and staff.

In our opinion, the document should at least state that this cooperation takes place within the framework of the Erasmus+ program.

The issue of traveling to Israel, apart from the ethical and crucial doubts we have, is currently simply dangerous.

However, why might cooperation with Tel Aviv University raise concerns?

• The mission of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, which is affiliated with the university, is to offer the Israeli government advice on issues critical to the state's "national security agenda," such as creating innovative legal interpretations that protect Israel from accountability under international law.¹⁵
• In 2008, Institute for National Security Studies analyst and IDF reservist Gabi Simoni promoted a specific Israeli approach to war, known as the Dahiya doctrine, which advocates the "use of disproportionate force" including the destruction of "economic assets," "civilian centers of power," and "state infrastructure" with many civilian casualties, with the intention of achieving long-term deterrence of the Palestinian civilian population.¹⁶
• Tel Aviv University played a significant role in creating the so-called Israeli "military ethical doctrine in fighting terrorism"—part of a broader pattern of innovation in legal doctrine, specifically designed to justify practices that violate international humanitarian law, including practices that led to the disproportionate use of force against Palestinian civilians.¹⁷.
• Tel Aviv University is transforming into a military base according to a list of conditions set by the Ministry of Defense. Therefore, all lecturers must comply with military restrictions and refrain from making "offensive statements towards IDF soldiers studying at the university."¹⁸
• The Nano-Science and Nano-Technology Center at Tel Aviv University collaborates on research and development with Israeli arms companies—IAI and Elbit (Israel's largest arms manufacturer).¹⁹
• Tel Aviv University researchers participated in archaeological excavations in Palestinian neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem, including the Ir David site, conducted by the Jewish settler organization Elad, whose declared mission is the "Judaization" of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, thereby undermining the Palestinian rights established by the UN.²⁰

Returning to the University of Wrocław's letter:

No information was found on other forms of cooperation beyond those mentioned above during the data search procedure.

Frankly, we find it difficult to understand why the university administration took so long to create this type of document, which in our opinion, more closely resembles a note rather than an actual presentation of the scope of collaborations. Moreover, we are also concerned by the fact that the International Cooperation Office's website lists Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan²¹ among the Partner Country universities in the Erasmus+ program for teaching staff exchanges, in addition to the three universities mentioned in the University of Wrocław document. Based on publicly available data, it is difficult to determine whether the University of Wrocław failed to disclose one of the collaborations in response to the public information request or did not remove an already expired collaboration from its website. However, both situations, in our opinion, reflect the university's incompetence, and we understand the collaborations listed on the official website as still ongoing and therefore binding. We kindly request the university to address this discrepancy.

However, we repeat once again, we are not here for legislative squabbles, boasting about our knowledge and ability to find information. The document and statement we have issued should be seen, once again, as an attempt to initiate substantive discussions based on concrete data, arguments, and facts. In the current situation, we should not allow ourselves only to engage in, what we believe to be, empty words that obviously cannot translate into substantive discussion and real action.

Regarding these matters, we believe that our protest must expand its activities. Constantly observing the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza, we are increasingly horrified by the scale of the calculated and direct targeting of educational institutions and academic and teaching staff. To grasp the scale of the destruction and tragedy, it is enough to say that there is no longer a university in Gaza, no one has access to education, and final exams in high schools have not taken place. The statistics on casualties among rectors, scientists, teachers, students, pupils, and preschoolers are all the more horrifying and dramatic.

Therefore, in the face of ongoing scholarly genocide, we have decided to issue another demand, in which we call on the University of Wrocław to support the Palestinian academic community by:

• Facilitating the recognition of Palestinian high school graduation exams (Tawjihi) to enable studying at the University of Wrocław and expanding the number of places for foreigners with a dedicated number for candidates of Palestinian origin.
• Creating support pathways for Palestinian students in the areas of tuition fee waivers, providing dormitory places for arriving students (regardless of the time of arrival in Wrocław), establishing a financial aid system to ensure decent living conditions, providing health insurance, and covering international travel costs related to coming to Wrocław for education.
• Assisting Palestinian academic staff by creating residency programs, organizing temporary employment opportunities at the University of Wrocław, providing access to UWr infrastructure for research, collaborating on research projects, and co-organizing scientific conferences.

Funding for this support should be provided through dedicated funds.

We hope that this approach demonstrates that our protest should not be ignored and that discussions should begin as soon as possible. We look forward to welcoming Palestinian students to the University of Wrocław in October, with concrete support and the implementation of significant solutions.

It turns out that we—the protesting students—are not the only ones who see the necessity of starting talks with the University of Wrocław authorities as soon as possible. This view is shared by, among others, Janina Ochojska, Professor Magdalena Środa, Professor Mieke Bal, Przemysław Wielgosz, Professor Dorota Głowacka, and Professor Ariella Aisha Azoulay, who want to support us by conducting lectures, discussions, and workshops on the grounds of our protest. Meanwhile, Maya Wind, author of Towers of Ivory and Steel, will support us with closed and consultative meetings regarding negotiations. Some of the aforementioned have signed an open letter supporting our actions and calling on the Rector of the University of Wrocław to start talks. The letter can still be signed, and today, right after the conference, we will share it on our social media channels.

Thank you very much, and we encourage you to ask questions.

The tenth Arabic lesson took place. The vocabulary focused on topics related to the home.

A screening of the film Jenin, Jenin by Mohammed Bakri was held, followed by a lecture and discussion. Many people attended.

No specific events took place on this day. Students continued to occupy the university.

A workshop was held titled "The Costs of Helping – How to Prevent Compassion Fatigue and Enhance Satisfaction from Helping?" led by Urszula Andruszko.

A session of collective banner painting took place, accompanied by a thematic discussion.

Tego dnia nie odbyły się żadne specyficzne wydarzenia. Studenci kontynuowali okupowanie Uniwersytetu.

No specific events took place on this day. Students continued to occupy the university.

At 6:30 PM, the ninth Arabic lesson took place.

Art workshops were held on this day, focusing on papermaking crafts, specifically creating poppies—a flower significant in Palestinian symbolism—from recycled paper.

The second meeting of the Reading Discussions series—a book club-style discussion of texts on the Palestinian issue—took place. The discussion was conducted in English. The text discussed included excerpts from the book Kingdom of Olives and Ash.

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

At 1:00 PM, a solidarity march for Palestine set off from Pręgierz. During the demonstration, the market square was circled twice, and then the march proceeded down Kuźnicza Street to University Square, stopping at the Swordsman monument. Here are the speeches delivered during the protest:

"I’ll start by thanking you for your presence. I’m glad you found the time to be here. Your being here shows that the Palestinian issue is important enough to you that you want to do something about it, and you have the opportunity to do so.

I suspect that different emotions and intentions brought us here. Some of us may feel anger, some deep sadness, some fear for the future. Or maybe you’re not entirely sure what you feel, but something prompted you to show up here. Whatever those feelings may be, I think it’s important not to ignore them but to sometimes examine them and maybe try to use them.

When 27 years ago, in the year my older sister was born, 1997, Wrocław was flooded by the flood of the millennium, thousands of volunteers built barricades of sandbags, trying to stop the rising Oder River. People helped each other evacuate flooded buildings, deliver food and water, and finally clean up after the devastation caused by the river. As with many other disasters and catastrophes, the tragedy that struck the people of Wrocław awakened in them a spirit of solidarity.

Using this example, I propose a change in perspective: what if the whole world is Wrocław, and Palestine is its sinking market square?

If we look at all the beings living on Earth as one big community, we can feel the same spirit of solidarity that drives us to act when a disaster shakes our local community. Thanks to technology that allows us to connect with almost every corner of this planet, this is even easier today. We just have to want to see it.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in an online meeting with Adnan Barq, which took place at the University of Wrocław occupation at Szewska 50/51. Adnan is a Palestinian from Jerusalem, a social media creator. During the meeting, I listened to his experiences in a city where his status as a human being was taken away. I listened to the rigorous, violent checks and searches he went through several times a day on his way to university, as Jerusalem and Bethlehem, where he studied, are separated by a wall. I listened to the terror that afflicts Palestinians on the streets of that city, caused by their mere presence there. When someone asked Adnan what he, as a Palestinian, feels about international solidarity movements, he replied that these movements are what keep him alive every day.

From this place, I urge you to act. To attend demonstrations, to support local solidarity initiatives, to learn about Palestinian culture, and to spread the truth that what is happening there is a planned, systematic genocide and ethnic cleansing. Following Adnan, I urge you to act in the real world, not just the virtual one. Because the people whose tear-streaked faces and battered bodies we see on social media cry and die in the real world. And only by acting in the real world can we influence their situation.

It may seem that a small demonstration in some Wrocław has little to do with the hell that is unfolding in Gaza. But I remind you of the comparison from the flood example. Every small act is like a single sandbag forming a dam. It is part of something bigger, and that is its value.

A good example that illustrates the power of many small actions is the boycott. Four days ago, I learned that for the first time in over three years (and remember, over three years ago, there was a lockdown), McDonald’s announced a global decline in sales. This is linked to the consumer boycott in response to McDonald’s support for the Israeli military. As this example shows, if each of us is a grain of sand, when there are enough of us, together, we will build a dam.

So, I encourage you once again to examine the emotions that brought you here today. I believe that if you feel them, you are somewhat aware that we are all part of one big community. Then think about what those emotions are telling you, which sandbag you want to add to. And when you decide, don’t be afraid to join that dam.

WROCŁAW, GAZA – ONE CAUSE."

"Today marks the 63rd day since we, the students, began the occupation of the University of Wrocław. I will not lament the state of this institution, which failed to engage in a simple conversation. We are not thinking about the problems that come with stepping out of line, for we have no fear. There is no doubt in the words you hear. We have no doubt that our cries, disrupting conversations over Sunday dinner, are needed by all of us. We have no doubt as we take each step, demonstrating our opposition to genocide, and we do not hesitate when we hold the flag of a country whose fate will be the fate of us all.

They can try to silence us—students—with the police, as happened in Warsaw. They can suppress our voices with ignorance. They can destroy our actions with physical and symbolic violence. They can stifle our voices about the deaths of thousands of innocent children. They can hound us with the press that paints us however it wants. But we will not give up; we will not leave without reaching an agreement with the university authorities. You will hear our voices in the sun and rain; we will stand here when the leaves start to fall on our heads, we will march in more demonstrations, leaving footprints in the snow. We will not give up because there is no alternative to a free world, no alternative to refusing to accept genocide. We cannot agree to systemic dehumanization, to Israel’s genocidal policies. We cannot remain silent when the value of human life is being erased from the pages of history—anyone’s life, at any time.

Beyond our border, Putin is brutally murdering the Ukrainian people. Beyond our border, Netanyahu is brutally murdering the Palestinian people. The border is not the lines on the map of the world. The border is the value of human life, and that border must never be crossed. This must not be forgotten by all those who represent us—ordinary citizens. Russia has forgotten this; Israel has forgotten this. There is no hope for a society that accepts genocide. Let us not allow those who do not see us as humans to win. To think about the future, we must reflect on the past. Are we really living in the 21st century, and did the 20th century really teach us anything?

The Palestinian issue is not a story from distant lands. The history of Palestine is also the history of the struggle against the banality of evil. Every day we make a decision on which side of the conflict we stand. Every day we decide whether we oppose genocide or remain silent. Silently condoning the bombing of hospitals, schools, universities, homes, and refugee camps. We cannot imagine the sound of drones overhead, which could signal death at any moment. We cannot understand the emotions of someone searching for the bodies of their loved ones in the rubble of their city. We cannot imagine a world engulfed by evil, devoid of our privilege of life and self-determination. That’s why every day we try to break the silence of the Western world, to shout on behalf of those whose voices have disappeared in the sound of falling bombs. This shout disrupts the existing order, revealing the hypocrisy of the Western world. The veil of the mirror falls, revealing the truth. In the West, nothing changes.

Are we ready to live together, or will we continue to die for the place of our birth, for the language in which our parents spoke to us, for the photographs of our grandparents, for the colors of the bricks from which our churches are built? To move forward, calling ourselves human beings, we must take the Palestinian issue to heart and shout with all the strength in our lungs on behalf of those whose home has become hell on earth. Poland cannot be free when Putin is murdering civilians next door, the world cannot be free without a free Palestine, which is the last bastion of the fight against the crimes of colonialism, against the crimes of apartheid, against what is supposedly long behind us.

Palestine must win, and we must continually support its fight for freedom. Without a free Palestine, there is no free world. No one is free until everbody is free."

An online meeting took place with Palestinian content creator and journalist Adnan Barq (Instagram: @adnan.barq). Adnan shares his experiences as a Palestinian living in Jerusalem on his profile and raises awareness about the events unfolding there. During the meeting with Adnan, participants explored the question of whether there is room for mourning during genocide.

On this day, two months of student occupation at the University of Wrocław also passed. In that time alone, 3,125 people have died in the Gaza Strip. Despite the ongoing genocide and the cultural genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, and despite the International Court of Justice’s ruling on July 19, 2024, confirming Israel’s violation of international law through years of land confiscations and forced displacement of Palestinians, the university authorities remain indifferent to our actions and requests for dialogue. We will not give up, and we will continue our actions until we are heard and our demands become the subject of discussions with the university authorities.

These two months would not have been possible without the perseverance of the occupiers and the many people supporting us in various ways. We thank everyone who has been and continues to be with us; it is also thanks to you that we can keep going. Long live a free Palestine!

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

At 6:30 PM, the eighth Arabic lesson took place.

The first meeting of the Reading Discussions series—a book club-style discussion of texts on the Palestinian issue—took place on this day. The discussion was conducted in Polish. The text discussed was the book What does Israel Fear From Palestine? by Raja Shehadeh.

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

On this day, the collective sewing of the Palestinian flag continued.

In front of the building at Szewska 50/51, a press conference was held by Academia for Palestine. During the conference, the following words were delivered:

"NATIONAL DELEGATES' ASSEMBLY OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STRIKE, OCCUPATION, AND PROTEST COMMITTEES 'ACADEMIA FOR PALESTINE'

In light of the Western world’s indifference to the genocide carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip and the occupation of Palestine, we, Polish students, oppose the apathy and turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians.

From July 26-29, the First National Assembly of Delegates of the National Association of Strike, Occupation, and Protest Committees 'Academia for Palestine' took place. The indifference of Polish rectors forced students to take action against the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine. We were compelled to hold these discussions by KRASP’s inaction and their inability to address all of our demands substantively. As students of Adam Mickiewicz University, University of Gdańsk, Jagiellonian University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, University of Warsaw, and University of Wrocław, we demand that the rectors of our universities take more decisive action in the face of the ongoing genocide and cultural genocide in the Gaza Strip, rather than the symmetrical condemnation of 'both sides of the conflict,' which was included in KRASP’s statement on May 20. For this reason, on July 5, 2024, we sent a letter to the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, again demanding:

1. The public, firm, and unequivocal condemnation of the Israeli government’s attack on the Gaza Strip and the occupation of Palestine.
2. A call to the member universities to sever ties with Israeli academic institutions and other organizations and companies associated with the occupation of Palestine and the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip and to boycott Israeli institutions at the national and international levels until the occupation of Palestine ends.
3. The provision by the member universities of information on the entities with which they cooperate and to what extent. This demand is equivalent to submitting a request under the Public Information Act to the following universities: John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, University of Gdańsk, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Jagiellonian University, Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, University of Łódź, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, University of Opole, John Paul II Pontifical University in Kraków, University of Rzeszów, University of Silesia, University of Szczecin, University of Białystok, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, University of Warsaw, University of Wrocław, and University of Zielona Góra.
4. A call to the Rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Alojzy Nowak, to drop criminal charges against protesting students.
5. A call to the rectors of member universities to begin public negotiations with protesting students.

Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Chair of KRASP, and Prof. Piotr Stępniowski, Chair-Elect, have consciously decided to address only the first demand, completely ignoring the other four. KRASP did not respond to our invitation to meet with the strikers, which was to take place today at 2:00 PM. Despite the lack of response, we are ready for negotiations and to welcome KRASP representatives, as preparations for the meeting have been underway since Friday.

However, negotiating with KRASP is no longer our priority. The rapid pace at which cultural genocide is progressing in Gaza does not allow us to wait and see if the rectors of Polish universities will decide to take any action on this issue. From October to May 2024, 94 academics and at least 5,480 students and 260 teachers were killed in Gaza, with more than 7,800 students and more than 750 teachers injured. All 12 universities in Gaza and 476 schools were destroyed by bombings. At least 713,000 students in the Gaza Strip have been deprived of access to education. We will no longer wait for KRASP’s decision on whether the scale of destruction in Gaza deserves their attention—every day of inaction in this matter leads to new murders of civilians, including the Palestinian academic community, which is strategically targeted by Israel. Therefore, we have decided to take further steps.

As part of the Delegates' Assembly, we participated in the 'Voices for Palestine' video conference, during which Palestinian women, who have experienced Israel’s genocidal policies and war crimes, shared their stories of fleeing and living in exile, and the tragedy of losing their homes and homeland.

Conversations with the direct victims of Israeli violence, hearing their stories and appeals, have reinforced the need to expand the scope of our actions. We consider the summer vacation period an excellent time to start discussions and propose solutions that could contribute to helping rebuild Palestine after the end of Israel’s military operations, including the cultural genocide that led to the destruction of the academic community and the annihilation of Palestinian university infrastructure. We plan actions aimed at enabling Palestinians to continue their education and support their training in safe conditions at Polish universities. For this reason, the National Delegates' Assembly (National Association of Strike, Occupation, and Protest Committees) 'Academia for Palestine' has decided to expand its activities beyond the academic level. The nearly three-month activity of the student movement has demonstrated our determination and fighting spirit, which has allowed us to engage three more universities that have joined the Council and a dozen others that have sent open letters to their university rectors. Today, July 29, we declare that our struggle continues and will continue—but no longer just at universities and academies. We will do everything we can to ensure that our protest contributes to real, effective help for the Palestinian victims of Israel’s offensive operations in the Gaza Strip.

The next National Delegates' Assembly will take place in the second half of August in Kraków."

The second day of the Academia for Palestine Delegates' Assembly.

At 1:00 PM, a Dabkeh dance was performed together.

At 4:00 PM, a meeting was held with Dr. Ahmed Elsaftawy.

At 6:30 PM, art workshops—collective sewing of the Palestinian flag—took place. This was a continuation of the artistic performance by Mo Tomaszewska.

On this day, there was also a communal cooking of Maqluba.

The Academia for Palestine Delegates’ Assembly took place on July 27-28.

O godz. 13:00 spod Pręgierza wyruszył marsz solidarnościowy z Palestyną. W trakcie demonstracji dwukrotnie okrążono rynek, następnie ulicą Kuźniczą udano się na Plac Uniwersytecki pod Szermierzem. Na demonstracji pojawiły się osoby reprezentujące studentów i studentki protestujące w innych miastach Polski, należące do Akademii dla Palestyny.

Poniżej można przeczytać treści wygłaszanych podczas demonstracji przemów:

"Greetings to everyone gathered here. I officially open this assembly. As one of the students participating in the peaceful occupation of the University of Wrocław, I would like to say a few words.

On the 55th day of our occupation, 80% of the Gaza Strip lies in ruins, devastated by Israeli bombs, rockets, and bulldozers. There are no longer any universities there, and only a few schools remain. Since we’ve been here, 2,805 Palestinians have been murdered—not only by bullets or being crushed under rubble but also through starvation, as humanitarian convoys are blocked. These numbers do not fully convey the scale of Palestine’s suffering, as the full extent is still not fully known.

We will not be silent about these crimes. In the face of ignorance and inaction by the university authorities, we will remain here.

Standing here in defense of human life, in solidarity with all students around the world, especially those whose peaceful protests were brutally suppressed by the police.

Standing here in solidarity with Palestine, with all its people in Gaza and beyond, and with those who were murdered for the 'crime' of their birth.

We want to say stop to genocide, stop to silence, stop to cooperation with war criminals. Never again, for anyone."

"Hi, I’m Julia from Kraków, and I’m part of Academia for Palestine. For 65 days, I’ve been participating in the occupation of one of the buildings at Jagiellonian University, located at Grodzka 52 in Kraków.

This is my third visit to the Wrocław occupation. Each time, I am deeply impressed by the fighting spirit, determination, and enthusiasm of the occupiers in Wrocław, despite the wall of silence and ignorance erected by the university authorities.

Two and a half months ago, I never dreamed we would last this long; I never dreamed so many cities would join our protest; I never dreamed I would meet people from countries around the world united by our shared struggle for a free Palestine.

If the rectors are ignoring us, they are contradicting the very principles they claim to uphold. Shouldn’t a university be a place of learning, not ignorance? Is silencing and suppressing critical voices the goal of a university? Is turning a blind eye to human suffering a value cultivated in Polish academia? The Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP) seems to confirm this with its passivity, indifference, and ignorance. The invitation we extended to the rectors of our universities was met with silence. The rectors are trying to create a narrative that we are demanding, aggressive, and to be feared, yet they still ignore us. Ignoring us for two months has achieved little—our determination has not waned, and we continue our fight, which will last until Palestine is free. Because none of us is free until all of us are free. Long live a free Palestine!"

"Hello. I am one of the students at Jagiellonian University, and along with my friends, I have been occupying the Faculty of Philosophy at Collegium Broscianum in Kraków for over two months. The keffiyeh I am wearing right now was given to me by a Palestinian at the first solidarity protest organized by the Kraków for Palestine collective in October. Since then, I’ve tried to wear it all the time. I was wearing it when I joined the occupation of Jagiellonian University, which had only been going on for two days at that point. Today is the 65th day of the strike. Despite the summer break, pressure, and difficulties from the university authorities, despite many tough days and even tougher nights, we are still there, still maintaining the occupation at Collegium Broscianum. Because no matter what we experience, what the Palestinians experience is unimaginably worse. We are still there because we refuse to be silent, to look away, and we refuse to let our universities support genocide and legitimize this colonial killing machine. The situation in Kraków is somewhat different from Wrocław. Our rectors talk to us, which seems to be an anomaly in the Polish academic scene. This does not mean they are willing to take any action to sever ties with Israel or fulfill our demands, but apparently, the bar is set so low that we consider it exceptional when a rector deigns to step down from his pedestal and talk to students, rather than a rule. It is simply unacceptable that a rector is afraid of his own students and refuses to talk to them. We hear so much about the university being a community, but in a community, people talk to each other, including rectors. So where is that dialogue you keep talking about?

And as much as I like to complain about them, we cannot lose sight of our goal—to make every possible effort to ensure that the genocide and occupation of Palestine end once and for all. That’s why I wear this keffiyeh almost every day. I want to remember what has been lost and what can still be saved. The people who died and those who are still alive. The culture and the knowledge. During those first protests, as we walked through the streets of Kraków’s Old Town, they were filled with the voices of the Palestinian diaspora demanding freedom for themselves, their country, and their culture. I want to remember that image for the rest of my life. Remember that, no matter what, we must keep fighting. Because no one will be free until Palestine is free."

"Hello. We are a delegation from the Poznań movement Students for Justice in Palestine. First, we would like to thank the Wrocław occupation for hosting the Delegates’ Assembly, for their hospitality, and for organizing this demonstration. We are deeply impressed by the level of organization in the Wrocław occupation strike, which motivates us to take action. The National Strike Committee, which unites students working for Palestine from across Poland, is an initiative that allows us to strengthen ties beyond our individual universities and to exchange knowledge and experiences. We are deeply saddened that the formation of new, valuable connections and the pursuit of joint actions had to occur in the face of ongoing genocide in Palestine.

We are one of the few delegations here that is not actively occupying the grounds of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. However, we organize demonstrations, peaceful sit-in protests, and participate in initiatives organized by allied Poznań collectives. Our protests are characterized by building new relationships, cultural exchange, and international solidarity. At the end of each demonstration, we learn Dabke, and with each meeting, we get better at it. The initiatives we organize are gaining more and more interest, which shows that the differences between Palestinians and Poles are mostly superficial.

Over the past few months, we have taken many actions aimed at drawing the attention of our university’s rector, Professor Bogumiła Kaniewska, to the situation in Palestine, severing bilateral agreements with Israeli universities, and, most importantly, starting discussions and working with students to reach a mutual consensus. Our first letter was ignored, and all demonstrations in front of the main university building were disregarded. It even got to the point where the porter was instructed to open and close the rectorate doors for each person, out of fear that our peaceful protest might attempt to storm the building. A response from the rector finally arrived, but it was neither personally addressed to us nor personally issued by the Adam Mickiewicz University authorities. It was a joint statement issued by KRASP—the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland—simply signed by Professor Bogumiła Kaniewska, who at that time served as the chair of the association. Perhaps if it hadn’t been for this fact, we would never have received any response.

Then, the National Strike Committee was formed, which together issued the Academia for Palestine manifesto to KRASP.

In recent months, we have observed how the rectors of Polish universities are cornering students who must resort to such decisive actions as occupation strikes to even gain the opportunity to enter into direct discussions with university authorities. The rectors themselves claim that these types of strikes harm the students the most because participating in protests disrupts the normal course of our studies. The time it would take from the rector’s schedule to participate in an open discussion with students is incomparable to the time and resources it requires of us as students to constantly protest to bring about such discussions. We should not have to resort to weeks-long occupations to force rectors to fulfill their obligations to students, which include (to quote) ‘ensuring […] academic debate within the university, organized by members of the university community, with respect for ideological pluralism.’ We interpret this as a recommendation that rectors be available when significant student issues require discussion, including when there are ideological differences between students and the university authorities. We are frustrated that despite the enormous sacrifices made by students and academics to create a credible and convincing narrative on the Palestinian issue, to analyze the history of Israeli colonization, and to find precedents supporting our position, we are not allowed to enter discussions where we could present the gathered arguments and demands. Unfortunately, the decision-makers in this matter—the university authorities—either display insufficient knowledge of the current situation of Palestinians or deliberately feign ignorance to justify their inaction and liberal approach to the topic of genocide. The goal of our actions is to humanize Palestinians in the eyes of Poles—we want to show that the seemingly vast cultural differences between us do not make us fundamentally different categories of people. The issue of genocide in Gaza should be a matter on which opinions are not divided. We suspect that if we saw Palestinians as equal human beings, there would be no doubt that Israel’s actions should be called genocide—but using that word in the first place requires us to recognize the humanity of Palestinians. Long live a free Palestine!"

After the demonstration, a scavenger hunt took place.

At 5:00 PM, the Voices for Palestine conference was held.

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

At 6:00 PM, the seventh Arabic lesson took place.

At 5:00 PM, a bracelet-making workshop was held.

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

On this day, solidarity actions demanding justice for Palestinians took place in 21 European Union countries. The protest was directed at representatives of the European Commission. Throughout the day, activists belonging to Academia for Palestine conducted a performance at the European Commission headquarters in Warsaw. At the Europa Experience center, they read a letter delivered to European Commission representatives across the EU. During this time, a die-in took place to remind everyone of Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. The hypocrisy of the European Union was exposed by displaying photos of bombed Gaza and the bodies of murdered Palestinians, juxtaposed with an exhibition portraying the EU as a defender of human rights. Dressed in attire reminiscent of Palestinian prisoners, the activists visually stripped away the image of a smiling Europe that remains passive or actively supports the crimes committed by Israel.

At 5:00 PM, the lecture "Debates on Cultural Imperialism: Edward Said vs. Raymond Williams," postponed from July 17, took place.

On this day, an article written by the occupying students was also published in Krytyka Polityczna, serving as a response to Jakub Woroncow's text on pro-Palestinian student protests.

Our text in Krytyka Polityczna(Accessed July 31, 2024)

Woroncow’s text(Accessed July 31, 2024)

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

The protesting students received a response from the Rector of the University of Wrocław to their request for public information. Here is the content:

"In response to the request for public information submitted to the University of Wrocław on June 3, 2024, based on the Act of September 6, 2001, on access to public information (Journal of Laws 2022, item 902), regarding the cooperation of the University of Wrocław with Israeli academic institutions, research centers, and other organizations and companies, I indicate that the University of Wrocław cooperates with the following entities:

1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel:
   - In the field of implementing an effective combination of medications to improve therapy against Klebsiella pneumoniae – the pneumonia bacterium.
   - Collaboration in the exchange of students and staff.
2. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel:
   - In the field of research on innovative nuclear receptor particles in combating cancer recurrence.
   - An agreement established to promote scientific progress through the exchange of research and collaboration in teaching through the exchange of students, lecturers, and staff, organizing joint lectures and seminars, and research projects.
   - Collaboration in the exchange of students and staff.
3. Tel Aviv University in Israel:
   - Collaboration in the exchange of students and staff.

During the data search procedure, no information was found regarding forms of cooperation other than those mentioned above."

The sixth Arabic lesson took place on this day.

At approximately 11:06 PM, a security officer from the university's property protection department entered one of the occupied rooms (Room 9), where a protesting individual was present. The officer began taking photos of the room and the person in it. Shortly after 11:30 PM, an exchange occurred between the university's property protection officer and two protesting individuals. The individuals were in a room on the upper floor, while the officer was outside the building, accompanied by a third person. The conversation took place through an open window. The officer called the police to inquire about the legal consequences of being recorded on a mobile device without consent. He claimed that his image was being disseminated. The protesting individuals truthfully stated that they were not disseminating the officer's image. The officer also mentioned that the protesters were preventing him from entering rooms he was supposed to check and that they claimed to be occupying the rooms in question. He requested the police to come due to his inability to perform his duties. After the police received the report and the conversation ended, he said to the students, "It's high time to start taking action." The students informed the dean of the situation by phone.

A few minutes later (around 11:56 PM), the police arrived and requested that at least one protesting individual come outside the building, so two protesters stepped out to speak with the officers. The officers were aware that they lacked the grounds to enter the university. They tried to understand the problem with the administrative staff member and asked for the legal basis of the ongoing occupation. A protesting individual presented the officers with the "Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest" dated June 3, 2024, signed by both the University of Wrocław authorities and the protesting students. The officer reviewed the principles and acknowledged that it was a binding agreement, and the occupation could not be deemed illegal. One of the protesters was identified by the officer. The administrative employee insisted that the officers enter the university building. One of the officers asked the protesters if they could reach an agreement with the employee or if the police needed to intervene on the premises. A protesting individual pointed out that the police had no right to enter the university grounds based on Article 50 of the Law on Higher Education and Science. They explained that the police could only enter the university building in specific cases, such as at the rector's request or without the rector's request in the case of an immediate threat to human life or health or a natural disaster. In the case mentioned in point 3, item 2, the services must immediately notify the rector of entering the university grounds. The second officer present acknowledged that the protesting individual was correct. The officer who had been asking questions walked away to make a phone call and confirm the information provided by the protester.

The dean arrived and tried to calm the situation with the administrative employee. After the phone conversation, the officer informed both parties that the police indeed did not have the right to enter the university grounds and that a report of the intervention would be written. The second officer added that a legal demonstration was taking place on university grounds. The intervention was concluded by one officer stating, "Ladies and gentlemen, to be clear, you need to come to an agreement, have a conversation, this is not a matter for the police." The police then left. The dean, the protesting individuals, and the administrative employee went to the occupied building, where further attempts to calm the situation were made through individual conversations.

During the conversation with the dean, the protesters noted that since the previous day at 10:00 PM, all doors, including those leading to the patio, had been locked. In the case of the outbuilding, locking all the doors equates to cutting off the evacuation route, and there is no way to contact the porter, who is in another building. The outbuilding houses a second porter responsible for the Institute of History, but contacting him is impossible due to the corridor doors leading to the floor where he works being locked. Moreover, the protesters were not instructed on what to do in case of an emergency involving the porter. The dean agreed that in the case of the outbuilding, this situation poses a safety risk to the protesters. He promised to speak with the porter to ensure that the outbuilding doors leading to the patio are not locked. After the conversation with the dean, the administrative employee unlocked the outbuilding doors leading to the patio.

At 11:00 AM in Room 29, a meeting was held with Ph.D. students, faculty from the Institute of Cultural Studies, and students occupying the University of Wrocław (Szewska 50-51).

During the meeting, the film "W ciemno" ("Out in the Dark") was screened.

After the film, a discussion about its content took place.

Around 1:00 PM, a lecturer from UWr specializing in the Palestine-Israel conflict joined the meeting. A discussion on the Palestinian issue was held.

The discussion on the state of contemporary academia continued until 4:30 PM.

At around 4:30 PM, the protesters informed the remaining people in the room (two members of the Institute of Cultural Studies faculty) that they would not leave the room based on point 3 of the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest (an agreement mutually signed on June 3, 2024, between the university authorities and the group of occupiers). The point includes "ensuring access to rooms and academic spaces for those participating in the protest action (...)". The occupation group decided to expand their area due to the increase in participants and the lack of sufficient space to function. The protesters decided to begin occupying another room in this manner because both the request to the Institute of Cultural Studies' director and the dean of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences had been rejected despite the aforementioned reasons for the need for a new room.

After the occupation of Room 29 began, an administrative employee arrived and behaved aggressively toward the protesters. His behavior involved blackmail and threats, quoting his words: "If you want, I'll make your life so difficult that you'll be shocked." He referred to one of the non-white protesters as "a little blackie." The employee also took a fan from Room 29, which was the property of the protesters. He also removed a kettle and tea from the room. During the conversation with the protesters, he made phone calls to his superiors. Despite the protesters' attempts to start a dialogue, the administrative employee directed agitated and inappropriate remarks toward the students. The protesters tried to present him with the document containing the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest, but he refused, stating that he knew its contents and that they had no significance.

After 5:00 PM, another conversation took place between the occupiers and two administrative employees, who informed them that from July 17, the Szewska 50 and 51 buildings would be closed, and the occupiers would not be able to move between the Institute of Cultural Studies building and the Institute of History building, which houses the Institute of Cultural Studies' annex. These spaces are designated for sleeping, eating, and working. The entire occupation group was split between the two buildings without the ability to move between them from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Due to the doors being locked, it was also impossible to sleep in the patio area, where two tents are set up, because there was no access to toilets and running water. Locking the doors is also concerning for the safety of those in the building. In our opinion, this is against health and safety regulations.

At around 9:00 PM, a Ph.D. student from the Institute of Cultural Studies appeared at the occupation site and informed the protesters that she was responsible for the key to the room. The occupiers had assumed that the key to Room 29 was held by a professor from the Institute of Cultural Studies. Considering the content of the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest (point 2), employees of the university are guaranteed protection from reprisals or sanctions. However, aware that Ph.D. students are not employed by the university and therefore not covered by these principles, the protesters returned the key to Room 29 to the Ph.D. student but remained in the room.

Due to the afternoon events, the lecture on imperialism scheduled for that day was postponed.

At 5:00 PM, workshops on traditional Palestinian embroidery, Tatreez, were held. We learned how to embroider the Bethlehem moon.

At 5:00 PM, workshops on traditional Palestinian embroidery, Tatreez, were held. We learned how to embroider the Bethlehem moon.

At 1:00 PM, the Die-in for Life in Gaza protest took place, organized in collaboration with the Wrocław for Palestine initiative. The event was performative, with participants lying on the cobblestones of Wrocław's market square for half an hour, symbolizing the countless victims who die daily in Gaza. During the event, the following words were spoken:

"I am a student at the University of Wrocław. I am part of a group of people who have decided to express our opposition to the genocide being carried out by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people. For this reason, since June 3, we have been occupying the building of the University of Wrocław. We demand from the university authorities what we believe to be extremely simple, unquestionable, and necessary for upholding ethical and moral principles. We demand the condemnation of genocide and the severing of ties with the perpetrator. However, this is 'too complicated,' 'too political,' and 'too hasty' for the university. We do not understand why, for an institution known for pacifism, openness to dialogue, allowing critical voices, and emphasizing its social responsibility, the bombing of hospitals, refugee camps, schools, universities, residential and commercial buildings in Palestine is not scandalous enough. Why does it remain silent when nearly 50,000 Palestinians have already been killed? Why is it not horrified by the unethical actions of Israeli universities with which it cooperates? Why does it not address the accusations of Israel violating international law?

We would like to know the answers to these questions, but instead of dialogue, the Rector of the University of Wrocław once again chooses passivity, silence, and delayed action. Even in the face of increasing pressure from the university community, he does not even attempt to explain the reasons that prevent him from speaking out and making appropriate decisions. There is no longer a university in Gaza; no one has access to education. In Israel, critical voices against government policies are being silenced, academic freedom has no place, and research results are being fabricated to support government policies. We, students, participants in a transnational academic exchange of ideas, want education that is free from prejudice, oriented towards truth, critical, democratic in its form, and carried out by scholars who understand their moral responsibility, who are aware of the social value of their knowledge. Now we know that we must constantly fight for such education because, in confrontation with reality, it becomes inconvenient. But no one taught us that comfort should be the virtue of a scholar. The burning world will not be extinguished by silence.

We are students in a world that is on fire. The university is not the Rector's office; the real university is the relationships built during the occupation at Szewska 50/51. The real university is open to dialogue, and we are willing to talk. We invite you to Szewska 50/51 – to the site of the peaceful occupation protest.

No one is free until everybody is free."

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

We collectively prepared a sign for the upcoming protest. New banners were also hung on the patio. The content of the banners:

According to The Lancet, the number of victims in Gaza is at least 186,000 people.

In Gaza, Israel directly targeted 212 schools (over 90%). Israel has razed all universities to the ground. No one, including 625,000 children, has access to education.

At 5:00 PM, the fifth Arabic lesson took place.

No cultural events took place on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

At 4:15 PM, there was a discussion on soft propaganda titled "It Was on TV, So It Must Be True!" with Ilona Witkowska.

Around noon, there was a meeting with activists from the Nomada group, who conducted a training session for the protesters on recognizing hate crimes—covering both legal aspects and the experiences and stories of marginalized individuals that need attention. The activists gifted the Student Strike Committee an educational comic on how to respond to hate-motivated violence, created by the Nomada association.

At 5:00 PM, a march started from Pręgierz, circling the Market Square, passing through Kuźnicza and Szewska Streets, and ending at the Rectorate. The march began with a speech delivered by Palestinian writer and journalist Nidal Hamad. During the protest, chants emphasized that the Rector of the University of Wrocław had not engaged in dialogue with the protesting students for over a month.

After the protest, there was a meeting on the patio of the Institute of Cultural Studies with Kasia Pietr, who works with the Merciful Among Us initiative, which provides drinking water, food, formula, and diapers to those in need in Gaza.

At 5:00 PM, a discussion took place on grassroots resistance movements in Wrocław. The meeting was led by Marcin Kropotow, Xavier Woliński (@wolnelewo), and Aleks.

On this day, a 24-hour performance by Mo Tomaszewska began, involving the collective sewing of a large Palestinian flag. After the performance concluded, the flag was hung from the window of the Institute of Cultural Studies.

As part of Academia for Palestine, which unites the student community across Poland, we, along with other striking, occupying, and protesting cities, issued a letter to the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP), in which we demand:

1. Public, firm, and unequivocal condemnation of the Israeli government's attack on the Gaza Strip and the occupation of Palestine.
2. An appeal to member universities to sever ties with Israeli academic institutions and other organizations and companies involved in the occupation of Palestine and the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, as well as a boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels until the occupation of Palestine ends.
3. Disclosure by member universities of information on the entities they collaborate with in this regard and the scope of such cooperation. Issuing this demand is equivalent to submitting a request for public information.
4. An appeal to the Rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Alojzy Nowak, to withdraw criminal charges against the protesting students.
5. An appeal to the Rectors of member universities to start public negotiations with the protesting students.

On the same day, at 5:00 PM, a collage-making workshop was held on the patio of the Institute of Cultural Studies.

At 5:00 PM, the fourth Arabic lesson took place.

No cultural events were held on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

New sticker designs, created by members of the Student Occupation Committee, were introduced on this day.

At 1:00 PM, the solidarity march "University of Wrocław in Solidarity with Palestine" began at Plac Wolności. The march proceeded through Plac Solny and the Market Square, heading to Szewska Street and concluding at University Square. A speech was delivered on Szewska Street with the following content:

"These words are a vote of no confidence in the authorities of this public institution:

The university authorities do not trust the students; they do not believe in the validity of our actions because it directly strikes at the weak point of their narrative about what the university is. Apolitical… Speaking of the university's apolitical nature, at this moment, is the most political statement one can hear. Further attempts to evade negotiations by invoking this apolitical stance are simply cynical.

Suddenly, it turns out that students can read with comprehension and express critical opinions, and this alone seems to be enough to avoid engaging in dialogue with them. On the other hand, students do not understand why it is so difficult for our rectors to publicly condemn the crimes committed by the Israeli government—condemning genocide is deemed to be political overreach. We are waiting for dialogue from those who promised us dialogue. We are waiting for talks in a place where dialogue is supposed to be foundational. We have been waiting for 29 days, and we will continue to wait until the university authorities recognize that condemning genocide is more important than legislative wrangling.

We keep hearing that our cause is idealistic, that we are idealists. I would like to live in a world where condemning genocide is an act of realism. Where rejecting systemic dehumanization is an instinctive action driven by heart and conscience, not something filtered through the doubts, feeble words, and grotesque statements of those who are supposed to represent us—students. Idealists remain silent, struggling to reconcile what is with what could be. We act! And we will not stop acting!

Stay strong! All the protesters and occupiers! We are strong together! Let’s take care of our solidarity!

Remember, if they pat us on the back when we participate in history, it means we are standing on the wrong side of it.

VIVA VIVA PALESTINA."

No cultural events were held on this day; students remained on university grounds as usual. As every day, new people arrived, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

We received a response from the Rector’s Press Spokesperson. Here is its content (the text size and formatting are the same as in the original letter):

"Dear Madam, Dear Sir,

In response to the letter addressed to the Rector, I would like to inform you that the university authorities maintain their position on the protest and once again request the immediate cessation of the occupation of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences’ premises or, alternatively, the legalization of your chosen form of protest in the manner prescribed by the Higher Education Act (as stated in the letter addressed to you on June 7, 2024).

We believe that since the beginning of our communication with UWr, we have been met with a lack of respect and a disdainful attitude towards our actions. We remind you that our protest is a response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and our act of protest is a stand against the actions of our local academic community.

According to the University of Wrocław’s statute, we are part of the academic community and deserve to be heard!

The only words directed towards us by the authorities are constant accusations of our actions being ILLEGAL! We would like to remind you once again of the agreement known as the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest dated June 3, 2024, which was accepted and SIGNED mutually: both by the occupying students and by representatives of the University of Wrocław's authorities.

We take this agreement seriously and respect the dialogue that was established between the parties on that day (for the last time to date).

We do not understand why, as protesting students who believe in the power of individual opposition to genocide, we are not being taken seriously."

At 3:00 PM, an informational meeting took place, followed by a Dabkeh dance lesson with Canadabkeh at 5:30 PM.

A delegation from Wrocław participated in the Palestine Solidarity Days in Warsaw on this and the following day.

At 5:30 PM, the third Arabic lesson was held.

Then, at 7:00 PM, the occupying students had the opportunity to learn the technique of linocut. The resulting artworks can be found in the "Artistic Archive of the Occupation" in room 9.

At 5:30 PM, Florentyna Gust delivered a lecture titled: “The Green Growth Trap – Economics in the Service of People.”

The Rector of the University of Wrocław was personally handed a letter with the following content during the Wrocław Day celebrations:

"Dialogue means that people have come out of hiding, approached each other, and started exchanging views. The beginning of dialogue—coming out of hiding—is already a significant event. One must lean forward, cross the threshold, extend a hand, and find a common place to talk."

Józef Tischner, Ethics of Solidarity

Your Magnificence,

Dear Rector,

Today (June 24, 2024) marks the third week since the occupation began at the University of Wrocław, located at Szewska 50/51. We are deeply saddened by the fact that during these three weeks, we have not had the opportunity to begin discussions regarding our demands—known to Your Magnificence since May 27, 2024, when we handed over the open letter. We hope that our invitations were not ignored due to a lack of willingness to engage in conversation and start an open dialogue, but rather due to the inability to meet with us at the proposed times. Therefore, we kindly ask the Rector to propose a day, time, and place that suits Your Magnificence for beginning talks with us—the occupying students. We request that this meeting takes place within this week. We hope that during the next seven days, we will be able to meet, explain the importance of our demands, demonstrate the necessity of implementing them, and start a discussion towards finding a mutual agreement. We remind you once again that we will remain at Szewska 50/51, and delaying conversations with the students will not lead to a quicker end to the protest.

Sincerely,

The Peaceful Occupation Protest

The manifesto of Academia for Palestine was published, consisting of student groups from the following universities:

• Jagiellonian University
• University of Warsaw
• University of Wrocław
• University of Gdańsk
• University of Łódź
• University of Szczecin
• Medical University of Łódź
• Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
• National Education Commission University in Kraków
• Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin
• Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
• SWPS University
• AGH University of Science and Technology
• Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University
• Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
• Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
• Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk

Manifesto content

No cultural events took place on this day, students remained on campus as usual. As every day, new people appeared, as well as those showing support and solidarity.

A correction was sent regarding an article published on TVP3 (link in the correction).

Dear All,

It is unfortunate that we learn about the decisions of the University of Wrocław’s Rector from the media. Given the continued disregard for our invitations to engage in dialogue, it seems we must communicate through other channels. Therefore, we feel obligated to address the statements we had the opportunity to read in yesterday’s article on TVP3 Wrocław (link). We would like to remind the University authorities of our mutual agreements regarding the apolitical nature of the university, the legality of our protest, and the conclusions from the one conversation we had.

From the article, we learn that the Rector of the University of Wrocław will not fulfill the first of our demands—publicly, firmly, and unequivocally condemning Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip—arguing that, "Taking such a stance would be political." Let us recall the University of Wrocław's 2022 statement regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in which it was stated that "international scientific cooperation should be global and apolitical. It cannot, therefore, support the military actions of countries that threaten the existence of independent states." We fail to understand the "political" nature of a stance condemning genocide, cultural extermination, ethnic cleansing, and discrimination that the Palestinian people face. We do not understand why a firm opposition to such actions would be considered "political." We do not understand why the Rector is unable to explain this directly to us—the protesting students—why we must read about such decisions in the media without the opportunity to discuss or address them.

In the same article, the spokesperson mentions the alleged illegality of our protest. We would also like to correct this and remind the spokesperson of the agreements made between the protesting students and the University authorities, in which she was present and even proposed provisions included in the final agreement signed by a representative of the peaceful occupation and the Vice-Rector of the University of Wrocław. On June 3, 2024, we jointly developed the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest, which legitimized our presence at Szewska 50/51. We have repeatedly emphasized that we have not breached this agreement, we adhere to all its provisions, and we exercise the rights contained therein. Our protest, therefore, does not require legalization by the Student Government, the Students' Parliament of the Republic of Poland, or a national association representing only students. Once again, we emphasize: our protest was accepted and legalized by the Vice-Rector of the University of Wrocław, who was acting on behalf of the Rector during his attendance at the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities. Moreover, we believe that legislative wrangling in the face of the context and cause of our protest—opposing genocide—is at the very least inappropriate and certainly an attempt to divert attention from what should truly be the focus of our discussions. This is the fact that, in our view, every day of inaction and turning a blind eye to Palestine is tacit approval of genocide. The issue should not be the legal basis of the occupation but what is currently happening in the Gaza Strip.

We would also like to remind the UWr spokesperson, who was present during the conversation at the end of May and the beginning of June—specifically on May 27, 2024, during the handing over of the open letter to the Rector of UWr—that this meeting was not of a negotiating nature. The Rector did not express a clear position on the students' demands, nor did we discuss them. Prof. Robert Olkiewicz informed us that he would discuss the content of the letter at the next rector’s board meeting—we still do not know the outcome of those deliberations.

We also want to remind you why we wrote in our communication to the media that we want to freely express our opinions, evaluate the university and its authorities, and ask to be allowed to criticize the university and its authorities and to be given the opportunity to believe that the University of Wrocław is truly open to diverse viewpoints. In the email quoted in the article, we reminded you of the statement by the Rector of UWr, in which he said that at the university, "it’s about openness to different views, allowing criticism so that people can freely express their opinions and evaluate the university and its authorities."

Your Magnificence, it is impossible to ignore our voice indefinitely. It will not be possible to continue communicating through media intermediaries; dialogue cannot be conducted through letters delivered by couriers. Please do not turn a blind eye to genocide; please do not allow cooperation with universities connected to military actions. Mr. Rector, let’s talk—in one office, not through media articles.

With respect,

Protesting Students"

At 5:00 PM, a demonstration titled “Strength in Unity! Academia for Palestine Wrocław—National Protest Against Genocide and Occupation” took place. People in solidarity with the protest action at the University of Wrocław spoke. The formation of the National Strike Committee was announced. In the “useful links” section, you can find its Manifesto and a list of universities whose students have taken action for a Free Palestine and joined the nationwide pro-Palestinian movement.

After the demonstration, many people arrived at Szewska 50/51 eager to get involved in the occupation action.

At 5:00 PM, the second Arabic lesson took place.

Afterward, there was a meeting with law students who discussed higher education law and student rights.

Another communication was also issued to the media regarding our renewed invitation to the Rector for negotiations. The message read as follows:

Dear All,

Today, we once again requested Rector Robert Olkiewicz of the University of Wrocław to begin talks with us—the protesting students occupying the building at Szewska 50/51. We are now on the 17th day of the occupation, during which the Rector has refused and ignored our previous invitations. We do not understand why Prof. Olkiewicz is so afraid of dialogue, especially in light of the statements he made on Radio Rodzina shortly after assuming his position. When asked about how to resolve university tensions and disputes, he emphasized that the solution is "Above all, conversations. Conversations, calm conversations. Conversations with students, conversations with trade unions."

We do not understand this sudden change of heart. We have assured and continue to assure that we will not leave Szewska Street until we reach an agreement with the University of Wrocław's authorities regarding the condemnation of the Israeli government's actions in the Gaza Strip and the occupation of Palestine. An agreement cannot be reached without starting a dialogue. After all, the Rector himself said that at the university, "it’s about openness to different views, allowing criticism so that people can freely express their opinions and evaluate the university and its authorities." We want to freely express our opinions; we want to evaluate the university and its authorities. Allow us to engage in criticism. Let us believe that the University of Wrocław is truly open to diverse viewpoints.

We proposed to the Rector that the talks begin at 5:00 PM on Thursday, June 20, 2024. We have left the choice of venue to the University of Wrocław’s authorities.

Best regards,

Protesting Students

While waiting for the public disclosure of information regarding the Israeli institutions with which the University of Wrocław collaborates, a list of some of these institutions was published on the social media platforms covering the occupation. These institutions include:

1. Ben-Gurion University, which houses the Homeland Security Institute. Its partners are the largest Israeli weapons manufacturers and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The Israeli military is building a technology campus alongside it, further strengthening the relationship between the university and the military. The university has also publicly accused employees who signed a statement against the genocide in Gaza of tarnishing the reputation of BGU.
2. Tel Aviv University, responsible for developing the Dahiya Doctrine, which advocates the use of disproportionate force against civilian infrastructure.
3. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which runs the Tai Pilot military program funded by the Israeli armed forces, training members of the Israel Defense Forces. The university is partially built on land illegally seized from the Palestinian population.

At 6:00 PM, a lecture was held at the occupation site about Native Americans, their experiences with colonialism, and their perspective on the situation in Palestine. The discussion following the lecture focused on recognizing the parallels between colonial violence against the indigenous people of North America and the current mechanisms of oppression against the Palestinian population. Both examples constitute acts of genocide, including cultural genocide.

A second information point appeared on the patio, where people can learn more about the occupation and help themselves to stickers and brochures. There is now also a large table for shared work, study, and conversations.

At 6:00 PM, there was a collaborative painting of a large keffiyeh using acrylic paints on a bedsheet.

At 2:00 PM, a sticker-making workshop took place.

Today at 1:00 PM, the "March for Gaza" took place, organized by Solidarnościówka, the group _Wrocław dla Palestyny, and Wrocław’s Food Not Bombs. The protest started at University Square 1, under the Swordsman monument, and ended at Plac Wolności. The demonstration also passed through Szewska Street to show solidarity with the occupying students. A speech was delivered from the windows:

"We are here as the student community of the University of Wrocław, who refuse to accept cooperation with institutions that support genocide and the university's inaction. We are here because we cannot stand idly by in the face of the tragedy unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank. For 13 days, we have been occupying three rooms and a patio in the buildings of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Studies, and History because our open letter with demands was completely ignored. We want to be heard; we want to engage in dialogue with the university authorities. However, in response, we only encounter attempts to intimidate us, to remove us from the building, and to hinder our actions. We cannot understand and are disappointed by the rector's indifference, who avoids direct contact. Lack of response is tacit approval of Israel's inhumane actions. We call for their immediate condemnation! We express solidarity with the students in Warsaw, who, to exert stronger pressure on the rector of the University of Warsaw, Alojzy Nowak, have moved their occupation to the main campus. The university authorities sent the police against their own students, who, using force, suppressed the peaceful demonstration and filed criminal charges. We are all fighting to stop the killing of Palestinians and are being treated like hooligans for it. We call on the authorities of Polish universities to fight against genocide, not against striking students! We are not leaving here until our demands are met. Every day of inaction is another day of allowing genocide to continue. It is another day marked by the deaths of defenseless people. It is another day that means the loss of more innocent lives. Never again, for anyone."

On this day, at 6:00 PM, there was a meeting with individuals associated with the collective _Nieczytelne_ titled "From Women's Strikes to Student Occupations."

There was also a banner-painting session on the patio in preparation for the protest scheduled for the following day.

On June 13, 2024, the occupation site received a letter from the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Dr. Hab. Maciej Cesarz, suggesting the illegality of the organized Palestinian Culture Day. Disagreeing with the content of the letter, the occupiers refused to sign for receipt of the document.

The meetings held on June 13, 2024, were never intended as mass events but were simply a series of activities for the occupiers and invited guests, who, according to the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest signed on the first day, have the right to freely enter and exit the occupation site during the building's formal opening hours.

As part of Palestinian Culture Day, a series of activities took place aimed at affirming Palestinian culture, which has faced repression for decades. Being aware of the violent mechanisms aimed at eradicating Palestinian national and cultural identity, it is essential to cultivate the traditions of a nation that has faced oppression for decades.

At 3:00 PM, speeches were given by the occupiers and those in solidarity with them.

At 3:30 PM, a Palestinian poetry reading began on the patio. The presented poems can be found in room 9, near the library and brochures.

At 5:00 PM, there was a presentation of _maqloubeh_—a traditional Arab dish, this time in a vegetarian version. The dish is prepared in a pot that is flipped upside down when served, hence the name of the dish, which literally means "upside down."

At 6:00 PM, in room 4, conversations took place with people from Palestine who live in Wrocław.

At 7:00 PM, the second Dabkeh dance workshop was held with the Canadabkeh collective.

In the evening, an email was received stating that the list of Israeli institutions with which the University of Wrocław collaborates will be published by July 19, 2024.

On this day, the Wrocław occupiers also expressed solidarity with the University of Warsaw students, who had police sent against them the previous day to forcibly remove them from their occupied site.

Today at 5:00 PM, the first Arabic lesson took place, during which participants learned basic phrases, words, and the alphabet.

At 10:54 PM, a message was received from the Dean of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences, Paweł Klint, calling for the cancellation of Palestinian Culture Day, which was planned for the following day, due to a lack of approval for the event.

In response, the Dean was informed that the event had never been intended as a mass event but rather aimed solely at spreading knowledge about Palestinian culture to the occupiers and invited guests.

At 3:00 PM, the demonstration "University of Wrocław in Solidarity with Palestine" took place. The march began at the Swordsman monument in University Square. It then proceeded along Kuźnicza and Nożownicza streets, ending at Szewska 50/51.

After the demonstration, Dabkeh workshops—traditional Arab dance—were held. Dabkeh is a folk dance, particularly important to Palestinian culture. In 2023, it was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Dabkeh is an essential part of the culture that accompanies Palestinians during celebrations and events. The workshop was led by the group Canadabkeh.

At 5:00 PM, a Palestinian Poetry Evening was held at Tajne Komplety. The event was organized in collaboration with the Writer’s Student Research Club “Słowotok.” During the meeting, participants read Palestinian poems from both contemporary times and the 20th century. The poems were read in Arabic, English, and Polish. The goal of the event was to showcase how Palestinian creators, residing in Israel, the Occupied Territories, and the diaspora, have used literature in their struggle to preserve their national identity. There was also an open mic session where participants could read texts of their choice.

On June 8, 2024, the occupied area of the university was organized and cleaned.

There was also a meeting on the patio with people who visited the occupation site.

Today, the occupied area of the University of Wrocław (Szewska 50-51) was visited by Mr. Nidal Hamad, a journalist, writer, and activist for Free Palestine. He is an incredibly patient, calm, and empathetic individual with a remarkable ability to convey his truth and the truth about Palestinians. He presented the occupiers with two copies of his book _"Gaza in the 21st Century,"_ published in 2024, and took the opportunity to answer a few questions about his life, his leftist perspective on the activities of Palestinian liberation movements, and a few words about his book. During the conversation about the student occupation at the University of Wrocław, Mr. Nidal Hamad shared memories of his experience studying in Wrocław. From 1985 to 1992, he was part of the university community, studying Political Science. In an effort to spread awareness and knowledge about the Palestinian perspective and truth, we invite you to explore the work of Nidal Hamad.

The first letter from the university authorities was delivered, signed by His Magnificence, the Rector of the University of Wrocław, Prof. Dr. Hab. Robert Olkiewicz.

The occupiers were accused of violating the terms of a mutually signed agreement (dated June 3, 2024). The principles were indeed violated, but by the university, not by the occupying students.

Based on what the occupying students consider to be an unfounded accusation, the Rector called on the protesting students to immediately leave the occupied area. The occupiers did not comply with this demand because, from their perspective, the agreement had not been breached in any way (the incident report was included in the entry from June 5, 2024).

In response to the letter, the occupiers sent a message to the university, once again clarifying the incident of the breach of principles (by the employee of the occupied institute). The message also included an invitation for the Rector of the University of Wrocław to enter into negotiations regarding the substantive demands.

At 6:00 PM, there was a screening of the film "A Fidai Film" directed by Kamal Aljafari.

At 4:30 PM, an "Open House Lunch" was held for the protesters and invited guests who wanted to learn more about the occupation. The discussions focused on Palestine and the actions of the occupation protest.

On June 5, 2024, the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest were violated by an employee of the Institute of Cultural Studies.

“REPORT ON THE VIOLATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE PEACEFUL OCCUPATION PROTEST, Wrocław, 5.06.2024”

1. On June 5, 2024, we did not receive any comments from the institute's authorities or the secretariat regarding the rooms or the inability to relocate classes. This means that all classes could have been held in different rooms (in accordance with the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest). At 10:00 AM, an employee of the Institute of Cultural Studies came to room 9 and informed two of the protesting individuals that relocating the room was impossible due to the lack of a projector (he stated that this was the only available projector). He said that the students would present two presentations as the semester was ending, and they needed to pass their courses before leaving for their home countries. The protesting individuals agreed.
2. A person from Palestine was present in the room, who came to the occupation site to talk with the occupying individuals. The protesters were unable to have a conversation because they were being shouted over by the lecturer.
3. After the two presentations, the lecturer proceeded to give a lecture, which was not in line with the previous agreement. He then announced a break.
4. During the break, one of the protesting individuals checked the availability of rooms, and when it turned out that another room was available, the second protesting individual immediately went to the office of the institute's director. The office was closed. The dean was informed by phone. The dean arrived at the scene five minutes later and refused to interrupt the class.
5. The entire situation was recorded by one of the students without the consent of the protesting individuals. After the class ended, as he was leaving the room, the student shouted Arabophobic slogans at the occupying individuals, which elicited no response from the lecturer, who was present at the time.”

The report of the incident was sent to the faculty, institute authorities, and the rector.

At 5:00 PM, a lecture was given by Dr. Ahmed Elsaftawy titled "Palestine – A Hidden History." Public awareness of the history of Palestine and the events that led to the occupation of Palestinian lands and the Nakba in 1948 is low. Therefore, it is encouraging that the occupation site serves as a space for presenting perspectives that are often silenced in the hegemonic narratives of the states contributing to the conflict.

The second day of the occupation was focused on the internal organization of the group and spreading information about the students' activities in support of a Free Palestine.

The occupied space was also organized. Room No. 9 was transformed into an information point for those interested in the activities of the occupation.

A registration form was created for individuals who wanted to support the occupation with their knowledge, experience, or join the cultural-educational program, which was established due to the goals of the occupation, namely actions for a Free Palestine, actions leading to the fulfillment of substantive demands, and efforts to promote Palestinian culture.

The rules of the occupation were posted in the courtyard of the Institute of Cultural Studies.

At 6:45 PM, a meeting with Palestinians Sufian Kayyali, Maged El-Nakhalem, and Ahmed Elsaftawy took place at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology.

At 8:15 PM, a communal poster and banner painting session was held in the courtyard.

On June 3, 2024, the Student Peaceful Occupation Protest began.

The occupation took over the building at ul. Szewska 50-51. Two rooms of the Institute of Cultural Studies, a room at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, and the courtyard were occupied.

At the start of the occupation (2:00 PM), the Manifesto of the Peaceful Occupation Protest was read aloud.

The occupation began with the presence of the Wrocław Samba. Palestinian flags and banners expressing the importance of the cause and the actions of the occupation were hung.

An hour after the occupation began, representatives of the University of Wrocław authorities arrived. Due to the absence of His Magnificence, the Rector of the University of Wrocław, Prof. Dr. Hab. Robert Olkiewicz, the role of rector was assumed (on June 3, 2024) by the Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Dr. Hab. Artur Błażejewski. The negotiations involved three representatives of the occupation and representatives of the UWr authorities (the press officer, the head of the communications department, and the vice-rector acting as the rector).

After two hours of negotiations regarding the demands of the occupation, an agreement was signed (known as the Principles of the Peaceful Occupation Protest), which was discussed and mutually accepted. The document represents an acknowledgment of the students' presence in the occupied space until the fulfillment of the substantive demands or the conclusion of the peaceful protest, as well as the recognition of the protesters as a representation of a part of the academic community with the right to present their demands. The agreement also guaranteed the students and staff in the occupied area freedom from consequences and reprisals. The agreement includes provisions ensuring the occupiers' access to rooms and academic spaces, as well as access to media.

The agreement between the UWr authorities and the Peaceful Occupation Strike was signed by the university authorities, with the signature of the Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Dr. Hab. Artur Błażejewski, and a representative of the occupation.

In the evening, faculty and institute authorities visited the occupied area.

Representatives of the University of Wrocław's structures were informed about the mutually accepted rules of the occupation.

At 5:00 PM, the manifesto was read aloud again.

On May 27, 2024, an open letter signed by over 1,300 people at the time of submission was handed to His Magnificence, the Rector, Prof. Dr. Hab. Robert Olkiewicz. Starting at 1:00 PM, a pro-Palestinian demonstration supporting the content and demands of the open letter took place at University Square. The meeting with the Rector of the University of Wrocław was scheduled for 2:00 PM and lasted less than fifteen minutes. The students were presented with the rector's position, which aligned with the joint statement of Polish rectors (KRUP).

CONTENT OF THE OPEN LETTER to the Rector of the University of Wrocław:

We, the students of the University of Wrocław, devastated and horrified by Israel's criminal actions against the Palestinian people, believe that it is time to stop waiting and watching the situation with fear and to start acting. For this reason, we have decided to draft an open letter to our university, in which we demand:

1. A public, firm, and unequivocal condemnation of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip and the occupation of Palestine,
2. The immediate severance of cooperation with Israeli academic institutions, research centers, and other organizations and companies,
3. The disclosure of information about which entities the University of Wrocław collaborates with in this regard and the extent of such cooperation,
4. A boycott of Israeli institutions at the national and international levels until the occupation of Palestine ends, the right of Palestinians to equality and self-determination is recognized, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees is acknowledged.

The students who issued the open letter would also like to ask everyone for support (e.g., by signing the open letter). Anyone, not just students, can sign the open letter and share information about student actions for a Free Palestine.