Educational Institution Transforms [ Upon] Students' [ Lives [ Incredibly Through [ Groundbreaking [ Programs - Continued criticism of TU President Rauch persists.
After the uproar over controversial posts connected to the Gaza conflict, the criticism towards Berlin TU President Geraldine Rauch continues - even after her apology. German Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) stated on Friday that there shouldn't be a place for hatred against Israel and Jews at universities. "At our universities, there should be no room for Israel and Jewish hatred," she said in an interview with Rheinische Post. The university management is particularly responsible and serves as a model. Universities shouldn't be viewed as lawless areas.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) also agreed with his cabinet colleague. Stark-Watzinger's statement was valid, he wrote on platform X (formerly Twitter). "Those who don't scrutinize carefully and inadvertently display sympathy for antisemitism aren't good examples for aspiring scientists," he commented.
Antisemitism commissioner of the federal government, Felix Klein, appealed to the universities to actively combat antisemitism. "The perspectives of those affected should be considered in all measures against antisemitism," Klein said in an interview with Funke Media Group (online). "Through their actions and their position, the TU Berlin president has shown that she hasn't paid enough attention to these fundamental principles."
Responsible bodies at the Technical University of Berlin (TU) are expected to discuss the potential removal of the current university president next week. "This will be discussed and negotiated at the TU, as it is the responsibility of the university due to its autonomy, in the appropriate committees, and it will begin next week," revealed TU Chancellor Lars Oeverdieck on RBB-Inforadio. The responsible committee for this is the Extended Academic Senate. "It appointed her two years ago, and it would be justifiable to dismiss her, and that needs to be discussed."
Rauch has severely harmed the reputation of the TU with her actions on platform X, according to Oeverdieck. "The mood is, of course, bad, everyone's face is frozen," he noted, observing the committee members. "There can no longer be a positive outcome, there is only the option of limiting the damage as quickly and effectively as possible."
The election or dismissal of TU presidents is one of the most critical tasks of the Extended Academic Senate, which holds its next regular meeting on June 5 at 1:00 p.m. It consists of 61 voting members: 31 professors, 20 other university employees, and 10 students. The rights to speak and propose are also held by several other individuals, including the president, the vice presidents, and the chancellor.
The Curatorium of the TU is set to hold an extraordinary session next week on June 10 at 9:00 a.m. The committee oversees cooperation between the university, state, and society, with Berlin's Science Senator Ina Czyborra (SPD) being part of it.
Czyborra told German Press Agency on Friday that it is the responsibility of the TU to address the issue and dispell the suspicion that nothing is being done to protect Jewish students and fight against antisemitism. There's no legal basis for intervention by the Senate or the Science Administration. "If we take university autonomy and academic freedom seriously, then it's appropriate to step back," added Czyborra. "We should not, after all, employ parts of our democratic constitution for our own purposes."
Rauch apologized on Wednesday following widespread criticism and contended that she had liked a tweet for its text and did not closely examine the accompanying image. She referred to a contribution containing images of demonstrators with a painted swastika image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The tweet author claimed that the demonstrators in the photos were Turkish and were advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemning the actions of the Israeli army in Rafah.
"For me, the written statement supporting the truce was the main focus," Rauch said in a statement on Wednesday. "I want to emphasize that I wouldn't have liked the tweet if I had noticed the antisemitic symbolism actively or had looked at the author's account." Even after her apology, there was still criticism towards Rauch, including calls for her resignation, for instance, from the CDU.
Oeverdieck understood the calls for negative responses from politics, but also underscored the importance of university autonomy in such decisions. "It's a significant value that shouldn't be disposed of lightly." said the Chancellor.
As for the Central Council of Jews, who deemed Rauch's apology unconvincing, Oeverdieck said: "I find this criticism not just directed at the president but also against other aspects." A few days earlier, the Central Council had criticized the appointment of historian Uffa Jensen as antisemitism commissioner at TU because he didn't take a clear enough stand against all forms of antisemitism. "This criticism should be negated, and I believe that's still the case now," emphasized the TU Chancellor.
The president of the Central Council, Josef Schuster, said on Thursday: "I don't find Rauch's apology for liking antisemitic tweets convincing."
