Following the dismissal of the academics who issued a statement titled “We won’t be party to this crime” against the state’s dirty war in Kurdistan, a total of 3608 academics have been expelled from their institutions by the Statutory Decrees. Academics dismissed from various universities in İzmir by several excuses and subjected to all kinds of pressure by the political power because they want peace have founded the “İzmir Solidarity Academy”.

FIRST SEMINAR TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 4

The project aims to show solidarity with academics unjustly expelled from their universities and protect academic freedom and universal values. Seminars will be held to discuss academic research in the scope of this project. Academics from various universities will be attending the first seminar on November 4 in İzmir Center for Architecture.

ASSOC. PROF. DR. AKINCI: WE WILL BUILD A STANCE!

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ümit Akıncı from İzmir 9 Eylül University spoke on the project and stated that there was an attack on all groups in the public sector and that they wished to increase solidarity among academics in universities. Akıncı said public workers were being arrested, detained and expelled, and that they launched such a project to be able to build a stance against this in the university.

CALL FOR SUPPORT

Akıncı said the expelled academics from Kocaeli will be presenting in the seminar on Friday and afterwards a discussion will be held on the concrete steps to be taken to build the solidarity. Akıncı also said they planned on organising periodic events to bring academics from different universities together and called on all conscientious academics to support the project.

ARI: WE DON’T WORK IN SCIENCE FOR THE PAYCHECK

Eğitim-Sen Izmir Universities Branch Executive Board Member and 9 Eylül University Faculty Member Aydın Arı said they didn’t have a notion that the academy needs to be behind walls. Arı said: “We don’t work in science because we get a paycheck. We don’t build relationships with society because we get a paycheck. This is why Solidarity Academies in various cities in Turkey are being built against all pressure, expulsions and terminations in universities. İzmir is a part of this. We defend academic freedom and we say that the Academy won’t be obedient. As a continuation of this, we are launching this effort. To defend the academy, we need to come together both in universities and in spaces we meet with the society.”