{"id":10695,"date":"2025-06-03T16:12:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esu-online.org\/?post_type=policy&p=10695"},"modified":"2025-06-03T16:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:12:42","slug":"resolution-on-resisting-the-far-right-assault-on-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"policy","link":"https:\/\/esu-online.org\/policies\/resolution-on-resisting-the-far-right-assault-on-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolution on Resisting the Far-Right Assault on Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Radical Right parties and their ideology have been on the rise all over Europe in the last few decades.<\/u><\/a>  In recent years, these forces \u2014 particularly those aligned with extremist authoritarian ideologies \u2014 have systematically identified higher education as a target in their broader political strategies. Across the globe\u2014and within Europe itself\u2014universities, academic disciplines, and student unions are under mounting pressure from governments and political actors<\/u><\/a> seeking to suppress dissent, delegitimize critical knowledge, and undermine institutional autonomy. These developments threaten not only students and academics, but the democratic fabric of society itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disabling education is not a side effect of authoritarianism \u2014 it is one of its primary tools.<\/strong> Higher education is often among the first sectors attacked when regimes aim to consolidate power. By neutralizing spaces of critical inquiry, limiting access to independent knowledge, and silencing student voices, such regimes create the conditions for unchecked ideological control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global nature of this threat is starkly illustrated by developments in the United States<\/strong> during the presidency of Donald Trump. Since the beginning of 2025<\/u><\/a>, his administration has launched an aggressive campaign to reshape U.S. higher education, targeting institutions it perceives as ideologically oppositional \u2014 most notably Harvard University. Universities have been pressured to reform their governance structures, admissions policies, and campus environments in line with state-imposed directives. In response to non-compliance, the federal government has frozen research funding and threatened to revoke tax-exempt status and international student programs. Though framed as efforts to combat alleged ideological bias, these actions exemplify a broader authoritarian strategy: using state power to coerce ideological conformity, marginalize dissent, and erode the institutional autonomy that underpins democratic education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar authoritarian tendencies are increasingly visible within Europe. In Turkey<\/strong>, the government has systematically dismantled academic freedom since the 2016 coup attempt. Thousands of academics have been dismissed or criminalized, and university leadership is now appointed directly by the president. In 2025, the country saw a deepening of state interference in higher education, marked by politically motivated actions such as the revocation of university diplomas and the suppression of student dissent. A particularly visible example was the annulment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem \u0130mamo\u011flu\u2019s degree, widely viewed as a tactic to exclude political opponents from democratic participation. This move sparked nationwide protests led by students and academics, which were met with police crackdowns, arrests, and digital censorship. These developments reflect a broader strategy to undermine academic autonomy, intimidate student movements, and turn universities into instruments of political control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere in Europe, member unions of the European Students\u2019 Union have reported growing political pressure and structural threats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n