Falcon powers – Students at the University of Helsinki in Finland continue to protest in support of Palestine, despite the suspension of student exchange agreements with Israeli universities.
In the speech delivered by student Filia Hermansson, she emphasized that cooperation with Israeli universities is damaging to the reputation of the University of Helsinki.
The students continue their protests for the second month by setting up tents in front of the university building.
Last Wednesday, the University of Helsinki announced the suspension of student exchange agreements with Israeli universities, but maintained “research cooperation” with them.
The university stated in a press release: “Student exchange agreements with universities in Israel have been suspended due to the loss of civilian lives and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
On April 18, 2024, students and academics opposed to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip began a sit-in protest at the campus of Columbia University in New York, calling on the administration to stop its academic cooperation with Israeli universities and withdraw its investments from companies that support the occupation of Palestinian territories.
With the intervention of the police and the arrest of dozens of protesters, the protests expanded to other universities and spread to countries such as France, Britain, Germany, Canada, and India, all of which witnessed demonstrations in support of their American counterparts, and demands to stop the Gaza war and boycott companies supplying Israel with weapons.
