President of the University of Kassel Abruptly Ends Memorial Ceremony Held on Campus for a Student Killed in Gaza

On November 2, 2023, a group of students at the University of Kassel held a memorial ceremony for fellow student Yousef Shaban, who was killed on October 24 in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes. The ceremony was abruptly interrupted and ended by the university president.

The ceremony, where around 150 people gathered, was initially approved by Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, the university president. She permitted the event, however, under the condition that “it would not become a political rally”. Throughout the ceremony police were present. The students took off their Kufiyas and put Palestinian flags away after Clement asked them to. Her attempts to keep the ceremony apolitical escalated when one of the students began a speech in English, naming Israel as the perpetrator of Shaban’s death and talking about the responsibility of the imperial and colonial system.

Clement tried to stop the speech but the student continued by criticizing the university for not taking a stance on the massacre in Gaza and for hindering academic freedom by interrupting the speech. Clement disappeared and then returned when Brigitte Domes, chairperson of German-Palestinian Society, was giving a speech. The university president turned the mic off while Domes was quoting Jewish journalist Amira Hass from her open letter addressed to chancellor Olaf Scholz. In this letter, Hass criticized the German government for its “unconditional support of Israel, which occupies and colonizes”. Despite students' complaints, Clement ended the event at this point.

Mustfa Saleh, from university group Unidiversität and organizer of the event, expressed his disappointment: “We’ve lost a friend. [...] Yousef Shaban didn’t die from a natural catastrophe. We need to talk about the backgrounds.” Another group member, Wissam Fakher, pointed to a pro-Israel event that happened a few days prior to the ceremony in which Israeli flags were allowed to be hung and materials were handed out, which claimed the Nakba didn’t happen. “Those actions were not criminalized but rather supported by the university. We solely demand that every student at the University of Kassel has the right to freely express their political opinion.” The university posted a statement later that day, stating their “trust had been abused” by the organizers.

Yousef Shaban was killed at the age of 33 along with his wife and one of his three children. His other two children are known to be in hospital. A recent graduate of Electrical Communication Engineering, he was visiting Gaza to bring his wife and children to Germany after he received a job offer as an engineer this summer.