Uniarts Helsinki’s response to the Student Union’s statement about the academic and cultural boycott of Israel
On 23 October 2024, the University of the Arts Student Union published a statement, in which it calls on Uniarts Helsinki to commit to an academic and cultural boycott of Israel and to terminate its relations with Israeli educational institutions. The Student Union presents three hands-on demands to Uniarts Helsinki:
- Uniarts Helsinki will officially dissolve its exchange contract with the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
- In the future, Uniarts Helsinki will not cooperate with Israeli universities until Israel complies with international law or the situation changes substantially.
- Uniarts Helsinki will make public its financial investments in companies that profit from the Palestinian genocide and begin the process of withdrawing its investments from these companies.
Uniarts Helsinki thanks the Student Union for the important statement. The university management met with Student Union representatives and initiators of the demands on 7 November 2024 and had a constructive discussion concerning the demands included in the statement. The university also wants to publish this public response to the Student Union’s statement.
- Uniarts Helsinki officially suspended the cooperation between the Academy of Fine Arts and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design on 6 November 2024.
- Uniarts Helsinki commits to refraining from cooperation with Israeli universities until the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been resolved and the requirements for cooperation have been ethically evaluated.
- Uniarts Helsinki has reviewed its investments in the light of the boycott list compiled by the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and the university does not have direct holdings in the companies included on the list. However, for the sake of transparency, the university wants to acknowledge that two funds in the university’s investment portfolio include investments made in Israeli new shekels totalling 700 euros. This sum corresponds to 0.0007 per cent of the total value of Uniarts Helsinki’s investment portfolio, i.e. 98 million euros.
Uniarts Helsinki has publicly expressed its concern over the fact that Finland is not capable of unity in major foreign policy issues at the moment. This exposes the country to hybrid influence, which feeds on political conflicts and aims to weaken society. The universities are committed to generating knowledge and competence for solving crises. The impact of the work depends on the existence of political will, however. Russia’s war of aggression showed how mutual political understanding over party lines makes it possible for other sectors of society to contribute to tackling challenges. Finland should continue its active role in the international community and take a responsible and clear stance on important global issues, such as the worsening Middle East crisis.