Students, Staff Who Got Fired for Opposing Israel’s War on Gaza Invited to Turkey

Students and academics from Western universities who were laid off after protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza are welcome to move to Turkey, the president of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Erol Özvar said.

During the conference “Gaza Genocide Attempt: Tellings of an Eyewitness” held at the Social Sciences University of Ankara (ASBU) this week, Özvar said Turkish universities have always had their doors opened to oppressed Western people, Erudera.com reports.

“At the end of the 15th century, just as we opened our doors to Jews persecuted in Europe, just as we welcomed scientists under Nazi persecution and oppression on the eve and during World War II, we will be very pleased to welcome you today,” Özvar said, adding an application page for this purpose will become available on the Council’s website in the coming days.

As Daily Sabah reported, Özvar also said that university professors in Europe, Canada, and the United States, as well as international students who have been told to leave due to their humanitarian actions can continue their education in Turkey.

“From here, we make an invitation to international students studying in the West who have lost their jobs and studentship and invite them to this application process,” he said.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 81,000 wounded since Hamas-Israel war began on October 7, 2023. The number of people killed in Israel has reached 1,139 since that date, and the number of hostages is over 240.

The war in Palestine sparked pro-Palestinian protests initially in the United States to soon evolve across campuses worldwide, with large numbers of students and lecturers showing their support for Palestine, marching in solidarity and giving speeches.

According to Crowd Counting Consortium data, a public interest project documenting protests across the United States, protests against the Gaza war have been organized for over 3,700 days at more than 500 US schools since October 7.

These protests involved encampments at more than 130 schools, resulting in more than 3,600 arrests or an average of about one participant per protest day.

Columbia University students became the driving force behind pro-Palestinian protests at the US campuses. On the morning of April 17, Columbia students set up an encampment, demanding a cease-fire in Gaza and asking the Ivy League school in New York City to divest from Israel.

The next day, April 18, the university called the police to end the encampment, which operation resulted in more than 100 protesters being arrested. Protests have since spread across other college campuses in the US, Europe, Australia, Canada, and worldwide.

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