At its recent meeting, the University Council took up a notable incident from the summer involving a lecture by an Israeli academic, organised by the Pension Research Institute. The event drew protests from attendees who felt the speaker should not have been invited, and the organisers eventually cancelled the lecture over concerns about disruption.
Professor Gylfi Zoëga, one of the meeting’s organisers, submitted a detailed report to the University Council, which the council discussed at length in its subsequent session.
The council came down firmly on the side of protecting both protest and the right to hold events. Its statement read: “The University Council reiterates that the right of the staff of the University of Iceland and others to protest is clear. However, it does not extend to restricting the right of staff and institutions of the school, or others, to hold lectures or meetings.”
The council also returned to a resolution from its October 2 meeting, where it had agreed to establish a committee to assess whether formal guidelines are needed for handling disturbances at university meetings, lectures, and other events.
The morning newspaper was the first to report on the council’s decision.
The minutes from the University Council meeting also made clear that the council would not be investigating alleged legal violations or breaches of the university’s code of conduct related to the incident.
