Scottish university dismisses Rector for denouncing Israeli war crimes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
3 Aug 2024 10:11

St Andrews Univerity claims Maris had exercised "poor judgment" by sharing her personal opinions on the war on Gaza with all students.

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A picture of Stella Maris, the rector of St Andrews University in Scotland. (St Andrews Students' Association)

The rector of St Andrews University in Scotland has been dismissed from the institution's governing body over her remarks regarding the Israeli occupation entity's ongoing "genocidal attacks" on the Gaza Strip, the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) news website reported on Friday.

Stella Maris emailed the university’s students last November, sharing her "personal perspectives and understanding regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict directly to the students who elected me."

"We must continue to recognize and condemn acts that are internationally regarded as humanitarian and war crimes. These include practices such as apartheid, siege, illegal occupation and collective punishment, which have been observed in the treatment of Palestinians," Maris wrote in her email.

On Thursday, St Andrews University announced that Maris would be "discharged from the role of President of Court and as a charity trustee," accusing the rector of "repeatedly" declining to accept the conclusion of an independent investigation.

The university stated that the decision "is the conclusion of a lengthy process which began in November 2023 when Ms Maris, as Rector, issued a message to all 10,000 St Andrews students offering her personal opinions on the conflict in Gaza and Israel."

The statement claimed that Maris published a series of posts on social media, some of which the subsequent independent investigation found were "discourteous and disrespectful" in dismissing fears "raised by students who had contacted her seeking reassurance."

The investigation concluded that while Maris "was entitled to free speech," she had exercised "poor judgment" by sharing her personal opinions with all students, "specifically in ignoring the possibility that her words from a position of leadership could encourage antisemitic behavior by others."

In response, Mairs said the decision sets a "dangerous precedent for freedom of speech," adding that, it is clear that she has been removed from university court "because I called for an end to Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians, and I will not apologize for doing so."

"As a young, neurodiverse Black woman with limited financial resources, I have faced the full force of the university, including a KC investigation, all because I made a statement supported by the overwhelming majority of students, calling for an end to a genocide," Maris reportedly explained.

On his part, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, a renowned British-Palestinian surgeon who volunteered in Gaza hospitals during the first weeks of the Israeli war and serves as Rector at the University of Glasgow, slammed St Andrews University's decision.

"The silencing of pro-Palestinian or anti-genocide voices is the reason why this genocide is still going on after 10 months," Abu Sitta pointed out, adding that "these institutions have been part of a system of genocide enablement that has emboldened the Israeli government in its attempts to erase the Palestinian people."

Maris has announced her intention to appeal the decision with support from the European Legal Support Centre, warning that the "idea that Palestinian human rights and the war crimes of Israel in Gaza cannot be discussed in higher education is deeply concerning."

While she will no longer serve as president of the university court, Maris will remain as Rector, a student-elected position, until her term ends in October 2026.