Federico II University of Naples, demonstration of pro-Palestine students on the day of the academic Senate

Following the well-attended meeting with the rector Matteo Lorito, this morning the students of the Student network for Palestine of Naples have returned to preside over the central headquarters of the university, in conjunction with the meeting of Academic Senate. During the meeting, the Neapolitan University should have put to the vote a motion to evaluate the request, made by the activists, to interrupt any scientific collaboration relationship with Israeli universities.

However, the document was not placed on the agenda of the Senate which met online and not in person. The pro-Pal students, gathered on the Minerva staircase, they then found the gates of the rectorate closed with lessons interrupted for security reasons. A desolate scenario that soon caused anger and discontent to grow among the approximately one hundred activists present at the sit-in.

«We are shocked by the University’s attitude today – he explains Davide Dioguardi of the Student Network for Palestine – a position that tells a lot about the political attitude of the rector Lorito and of those who sit with him in the Academic Senate: evidently there is no desire to terminate relations with the state of Israel”.

After finding the headquarters of the Federician university empty, the boys subsequently moved in procession towards the nearby Department of Humanistic Studies in via Porta di Massa, shouting “Free Palestine”. Here a student delegation was received by the Department Director, Prof Andrea Mazzucchi which reiterated the university’s openness to dialogue. «At the moment – ​​clarified Mazzucchi – a discussion table has already been activated between all the parties which we hope will lead to a draft of shared reflections which the Senate will then evaluate». In the working group, established by the rector Lorito on the sidelines of the assembly held last 12 April, in addition to the representatives of Federico II, there are also representatives of the Student Network for Palestine. The next meeting is expected to be held on April 29.

Meanwhile the young people, pointing the finger at what they define as «bureaucratic delays to escape from the spaces of democracy», say they are skeptical and announce that they are considering leaving the working table: «This being the case – he clarifies Marta Di Giacomo of the Self-organised university collective – we will make our assessments to understand where the University wants to take us: if the objective is to never have us speak to the Academic Senate, but only at the table, we will inevitably make our assessments”.

At the same time we are still waiting for the rector’s exit Matteo Lorito from the Med-Or foundation of Leonardo. «After his promise, we still don’t know anything today – specifies the Cau activist, Irene Galuppo – meanwhile some students from the engineering department will soon be involved in the “Open Sea” military exercise, this indicates the complicity of the academic institution towards an idea of ​​a world where war is legitimate».

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