On February 5th, members of Aalto Students for Palestine met with Aalto University leadership to discuss our open letter, Act in Solidarity with Palestine, signed by more than 650 students, alumni, and staff. The meeting revealed both the urgency of the moment and the reluctance of the university to act.
While leadership repeatedly expressed sympathy, their main refrain was that these issues are “outside the scope of the university’s duties.” We disagree. Universities are not neutral bystanders — they are active participants in global academic networks, with the power and responsibility to stand against injustice.
What We Asked — and What We Heard
1. Acknowledgement of the crisis
We asked Aalto to issue a simple statement acknowledging the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine and to remind students and staff of existing wellbeing services. Leadership refused, claiming the university cannot comment on “geo-political issues” and must “treat all cases equally.” When pressed, they could not name another crisis of comparable scale in the past four months.
2. Partnerships with Israeli institutions
Aalto maintains an exchange agreement with Tel Aviv University’s School of Management, an institution that provides financial support to students serving in military operations in Gaza. We asked if this aligns with Aalto’s values. Leadership admitted this was “concerning” but offered no commitment beyond possible review. They were unfamiliar with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) framework.
3. Support for Palestinian academia
Aalto is a member of the Scholars at Risk network, which has called for action to support scholars and students in Gaza and the West Bank. Leadership was aware of this call but could not point to any steps Aalto has taken. Instead, they stressed they would not initiate new partnerships “in the affected area.”
4. A community forum
We proposed co-organizing a seminar at Aalto on Palestine and the role of academia in times of humanitarian crisis. Leadership rejected the idea, warning it could “offend” or “harass” community members, and suggested the event be held off-campus.
Our Assessment
The meeting made clear that Aalto prefers symbolic sympathy over concrete responsibility. Leadership praised our activism but insisted that “the community should be active, not the institution.” They even stated they “do not have enough information to take a stance” — a striking claim given the International Court of Justice’s ruling that Israel’s actions pose a “real and imminent risk” of genocide.
This refusal to act is not neutrality. It is complicity. By maintaining partnerships with Israeli institutions directly tied to military violence, and by declining to support Palestinian students, scholars, and staff, Aalto University places itself on the wrong side of history.
Our Expectations
We call on Aalto University to:
- Acknowledge the crisis and extend support to affected students and staff.
- Review and end partnerships with Israeli institutions complicit in violence.
- Act on the Scholars at Risk call, providing support to Palestinian academics.
- Adopt BDS principles in line with international academic solidarity.
- Host a community forum on Palestine and academia’s role in humanitarian crises.
Neutrality is not an option when genocide is unfolding. If Aalto University fails to respond, it not only disregards its own values but also the voices of hundreds within its community.
This moment demands moral leadership. Aalto can choose to remain passive — or it can become part of the global movement for justice and peace.
Signed,
Aalto Students for Palestine
