BRICUP Statement:
James Dickins keeps his Emeritus Professor title
In a victory over official attempts to supress advocacy for Palestine on UK campuses, the University of Leeds has stepped back from its attempt to strip James Dickins of his Emeritus Professor title at the University. This unprecedented move, never before attempted at a UK university, was met with a tidal wave of opposition, including
· a joint letter to the Leeds Vice-Chancellor from 21 Fellows of the British Academy
· a statement of solidarity from the Leeds branch of UCU (University and College Union)
· strong criticism from the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES), the most relevant learned society
· a protest from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
· a forthright condemnation from the Committee for Academic Freedom and
· a 10,000-strong petition demanding that the University’s punitive action be cancelled
James Dickins is a member of BRICUP, the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine. BRICUP wrote to the Vice-Chancellor in June stating that the disciplinary action against Professor Dickins was a “petty and unworthy move which can only damage both the University and academic values”, and one which was in direct violation of its legally entrenched duty to protect and foster both free speech and academic freedom. That damage is now evident.
Professor Dickins in welcoming the University’s decision to cancel its move to strip him of his title confirmed that he would continue to speak up for Palestine and against the oppression of its people.
