On Wednesday it was announced via Studio040 that the Design Academy Eindhoven will be cutting its ties with two Israeli institutions from next academic year. Eindhoven city politics reacts differently to this decision.
“I think it is unwise to break those ties,” says PvdA councillor Tjeerd Ritmeester. “A course must be politically neutral, and I also have my doubts whether everyone on the board of the Design Academy agrees with the decision. I wonder who decided this.”
According to Ritmeester, the Design Academy also sets a bad example of how to deal with disagreements. “This step does not promote dialogue and promotes polarisation. And what about Israeli students who are now on exchange? They feel unsafe because of this decision. It is as if they have been put on some kind of blacklist.”
Shame
SP councillor Murat Memiş understands the step taken by the Design Academy. “It is especially a shame that it had to come to this,” says Memiş. “But we have to be honest enough to say that freezing of the ties is inevitable. What is happening in Gaza is so inhumane. It is logical that people do what they can to make it clear that what is happening there is not acceptable.”
Relocation
The decision to pause the ties will have no influence on whether or not the Design Academy will leave Eindhoven and the position of the city council. This is what both Ritmeester and Memiş believe.
“I think we should keep those things separate. The Design Academy is very important for Eindhoven and I think that we should keep the institute for the city anyway,” says Memiş. Ritmeester agrees with that. “But as an Eindhoven institute, it must create a safe environment for everyone,” said the PvdA member.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
