Boğaziçi Alumni issue sharp response to rectorate practices: 'We do not accept the darkness imposed upon us'

Boğaziçi University alumni continue their vigil in support of the resistance led by students and academics against the rectorate's practices, which they argue restrict the university's autonomy as well as the rights and freedoms of students.

In a statement issued regarding the vigil, which was held for the 247th time today, the alumni reacted to the practices carried out by the rectorate on campus last week, which culminated in the evacuation of a dormitory building on Friday due to the visit of AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the university.

The statement included the following: 'Evacuating and closing off the entire campus, which was already in use, under the pretext of an 'opening ceremony' for dormitories that were already occupied, and surrounding our university with barricades, is a practice unprecedented even during periods of martial law. What is happening at and around our university is a summary of the pressure exerted on many institutions and individuals in Turkey, and of the mentality that seeks to dominate. We believe that this mentality, which does not hide its desire to 'conquer' one of the country's best public universities and which advocates a culture of subservience, has nothing to offer our youth or our country. We would like to remind you once again: you will not be able to destroy the principles, values, accumulated knowledge, memory, and desire for communal life of our university.'

The statement noted that due to the visit of AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the university on Friday, February 13, the South Campus was closed to entry for students, academics, and administrative staff, that even a dormitory building on campus was evacuated for Erdoğan's visit, and that two students who protested the visit on the North Campus were detained. The statement continued as follows:

'Evacuating and closing off the entire campus for an event announced as a dormitory opening, and surrounding our university with barricades, is a practice unprecedented even during periods of martial law. Naci İnci, who has lived for years with the dream of a university purged of students and academics, has once again shown the entire public how much he fears both the students and the resisting academics—whom he tries to belittle by calling them 'a few' people—with his latest actions that have gone down as a dark stain in the country's history.'

'WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THE DARKNESS THEY SEEK TO IMPOSE UPON US'

We would like to remind the appointed rector Naci İnci and his team, who try to exist by leaning on the political power, once again: you will not be able to destroy the principles, values, accumulated knowledge, memory, and desire for communal life of our university through pressure, intimidation, police threats, armored vehicles (TOMA), cameras placed in trees, water sprinklers turned on at random, piles of barricades, or arbitrary campus bans. As Boğaziçi constituents, we continue our demand for an autonomous and free university. Boğaziçi University alumni stated, 'We believe that the mentality that does not hide its desire to 'conquer' one of the country's best public universities and that advocates a culture of subservience has nothing to offer our youth or our country. We would like to remind you once again: you will not be able to destroy the principles, values, accumulated knowledge, memory, and desire for communal life of our university.'

Boğaziçi University alumni continue their vigil in support of the resistance led by students and academics against the rectorate's practices, which they argue restrict the university's autonomy as well as the rights and freedoms of students.

In a statement issued regarding the 247th vigil held today, the alumni reacted to the practices carried out by the rectorate on campus last week, which culminated in the evacuation of a dormitory building on campus due to the visit of President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday.

The statement read: "Evacuating and closing the entire campus to use on the pretext of an 'opening ceremony' for dormitory buildings that were already in use, and blockading our university with barricades, is a practice unprecedented even during periods of martial law. What is happening at and around our university is a summary of the oppression carried out against many institutions and individuals in Turkey, and of the mentality that seeks to dominate. We believe that this mentality, which does not hide its desire to 'conquer' one of the country's best public universities and which advocates a culture of subservience, has nothing to offer our youth or our country. We would like to remind you once again: you will not be able to destroy the principles, values, accumulated knowledge, memory, and desire for communal life of our university."

"EVEN THE DORMITORY BUILDING ON CAMPUS WAS EVACUATED DUE TO ERDOĞAN'S VISIT"

The statement noted that the South Campus was closed to entry for students, academics, and administrative staff due to Erdoğan's visit to the university on Friday, February 13, that even the dormitory building on campus was evacuated for the visit, and that two students protesting the visit on the North Campus were detained. The statement continued as follows:

"Evacuating and closing the entire campus to use for an event announced as a dormitory opening, and blockading our university with barricades, is a practice unprecedented even during periods of martial law. Naci İnci, who has lived for years with the dream of a university purged of students and academics, has once again shown the entire public with his latest actions—which have gone down as a dark stain in the country's history—just how much he fears both the students and the resisting academics he tries to belittle by calling them 'a few' people."

"WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THE DARKNESS THEY SEEK TO IMPOSE UPON US"

We would like to remind the appointed rector Naci İnci and his team, who try to exist by leaning on the political power, once again: you will not be able to destroy the principles, values, accumulated knowledge, memory, and desire for communal life of our university through oppression, intimidation, police threats, water cannon vehicles (TOMA), cameras placed in trees, water sprinklers turned on at random, piles of barricades, or arbitrary campus bans. As Boğaziçi constituents, we will not give up our demand for an autonomous and free university, and we will not accept the darkness they seek to impose upon us. We are here until the day all this tyranny, irregularity, and lawlessness is held to account before the law; we will continue to do our best to ensure that everything you fear comes to pass, and we will continue to resist in solidarity."

The statement also recalled that the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of a female student who had filed an individual application after a preventive measure was issued against her based on Law No. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women due to protest actions at the school, following a request by Boğaziçi University Rector Naci İnci, and ordered the payment of 34,000 Turkish Lira in non-pecuniary damages to the student. The statement further demanded an immediate end to the harassment tactics applied to Computer Engineering Department faculty member Tuna Tuğcu, who is currently facing 17 separate disciplinary investigations.

The statement read: "The second session of the fifth term of the 'Resisting Academy' Open Lecture series, organized by Boğaziçi University academics with the support of alumni, students, and Eğitim-Sen to bring academic discussions into the public sphere, continues on Monday, February 16, with a lecture titled 'The Thing Called Culture' by Ayfer Bartu Candan, who served as a faculty member in the Sociology Department at Boğaziçi University for 20 years and retired in 2024 due to the occupation policies of the trustee administration. We welcome everyone who shares our ideals. We do not accept, we do not give up. We will not give up, and we will not accept the darkness they seek to impose upon us. We are here until the day all this tyranny, irregularity, and lawlessness is held to account before the law; we will continue to do our best to ensure that everything you fear comes to pass, and we will continue to resist in solidarity."

''END THE HARASSMENT TACTICS''

The statement recalled that the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of a female student who had filed an individual application after a preventive injunction was issued against her under Law No. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women due to protest actions at the school, following a request by Boğaziçi University Rector Naci İnci. The court ruled that her rights had been violated and ordered the payment of 34,000 Turkish Lira in non-pecuniary damages. The statement also demanded an immediate end to the harassment tactics applied to Computer Engineering Department faculty member Tuna Tuğcu, who is currently facing 17 separate disciplinary investigations.

The statement read: "The second session of the fifth term of the 'Resisting Academy' Open Lecture series, organized by Boğaziçi University academics with the support of alumni, students, and Eğitim-Sen to bring academic discussions into the public sphere, continues on Monday, February 16, with a lecture titled 'The Thing Called Culture' by Ayfer Bartu Candan, who served as a faculty member in the Sociology Department at Boğaziçi University for 20 years and retired in 2024 due to the occupation policies of the trustee administration. We welcome everyone who shares our ideals. We do not accept, we do not give up."

News Source: 12punto