Universitäten in polarisierenden Zeiten – Wie politisch dürfen Hochschulen sein? (Universities in polarizing times – How political can universities be?)

Panel discussion with

© Michael Gründel, Fotograf der NOZ

Louisa Riepe

Chief editor of the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung

© Christian Kreutzmann, Fotograf

Prof. Dr. Joachim Schachtner

State Secretary in the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture

© HHU/Kay Herschelmann

Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbeck

Rector of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Conversation leader
Prof. Dr. Susanne Menzel-Riedl, President of the University od Osnabrück


Universities are places of lively discourse that also relate to current political conflicts. They are not only spaces for verbal debate, but also the scene of demonstrations, creative and sometimes aggressive protest actions. The eviction of protest camps on campus, which have attracted a great deal of media attention, particularly in Berlin, are polarizing and dealing with them is proving to be challenging. As state institutions, universities are committed to political neutrality, but they are not free of rights and power.
How can the neutrality requirement, desired discourse and debate and the guarantee of safety for all people on campus be reconciled? How activist can protests be and how much space should universities offer to ideological and political positions?

These and other questions were considered during the peace talk. The focus was not only on the conflicts surrounding the complex war in the Gaza Strip, but also on universities as public spaces for political discourse.

October 09, 2024, Aula of the University, 6:30 pm, Neuer Graben 29/Castle


Picture gallery

Video recordings

Universitäten in polarisierenden Zeiten – Wie politisch dürfen Hochschulen sein?

Bitte beachten Sie unsere Datenschutzerklärung. Wenn Sie das Video abspielen, werden Daten an YouTube gesendet.