The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies has released the following statement regarding the Collège de France decision to withdraw from hosting the "Palestine and Europe" conference organized by The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies – Paris. The full statement as follows:
Doha, 17 November 2025
The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) expresses its strong condemnation of the decision by the Collège de France management to withdraw from hosting the conference “Palestine and Europe: The Weight of the Past and Contemporary Dynamics”, organized by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies – Paris (CAREP Paris) on 13 and 14 November 2025. The decision followed direct political pressure exerted by the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philippe Baptiste.
This political intervention in an independent academic and research activity sets a dangerous precedent that strikes at the heart of academic freedom and undermines principles that have long served as the foundation of universities and scholarly institutions in France, Europe, and the world. It also contradicts the very role of the Ministry, which is entrusted with safeguarding the autonomy of educational institutions and protecting intellectual pluralism, not imposing forms of oversight or steering the course of scientific research.
The DI commends the principled and courageous stance taken by the Chair of Contemporary History of the Arab World at the Collège de France and by CAREP Paris, as expressed in their joint statement rejecting the decision. It likewise salutes the positions voiced by French academics, universities, and research institutions that have condemned this interference, foremost among them the French Universities Association, which described the incident as an unprecedented infringement on the independence of the academic sphere in France.
We also note in particular the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES), the German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and the Italian Society for Middle Eastern Studies (SeSaMO), which jointly addressed a letter to President Emmanuel Macron and the French Minister of National Education denouncing the decision to withdraw from hosting the conference at the Collège de France. The Doha Institute fully supports the message conveyed in that letter.
As we affirm our full solidarity with the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and with the scholars participating in the conference, the Doha Institute stresses that academic freedom is a fundamental right that must be upheld at all times and in all places. It is a prerequisite for the flourishing of knowledge, the advancement of societies, and the development of independent scholarly research.
The Institute calls on the global academic community, including scholars, researchers, and scientific institutions, to continue defending the values of freedom of expression and inquiry, and to stand firmly against any attempts to politicize knowledge or to restrict serious academic debate.
