TU Delft rector magnificus condemns violence in Iran

TU Delft rector magnificus condemns violence in Iran

TU Delft’s Rector magnificus Tim van der Hagen has expressed solidarity with ‘students and academics in Iran and all students and academics in our community who have ties to the region and who are worried about their families and loved ones’.

Like five colleagues (from Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Twente and Amsterdam – UvA) and several Dutch-Iranian and Iranian academics, he signed a statement. In it, they ‘condemn the violence against students and academics as it took place in Iran’. “We stand for our responsibility to protect freedom of expression for students and academics from Iran on our campuses, and for women, students and academics in Iran and anywhere in the world”,  they write.

The signatories also include Behnam Taebi, full professor of energy and climate ethics at TU Delft. The statement can be found on the website of the International solidarity network for Iranian people, which was co-founded by Farah Kamiri, GroenLinks senator.

^{There was an Iran demonstration in front of the TU Delft aula on 2 December. (Photo: Justyna Botor)}

At the beginning of the violence in Iran, several Iranian students and staff called on TU Delft to take a stand. This was after their request for a remembrance on campus was initially rejected. They then diverted to Delft’s Market Square. A small memorial on the campus followed soon after. In early December, there was another rally, this time in front of the aula, in the presence of diversity officer David Keyson. (SB)