Three Protesters Disrupt Tampere University Opening, Demand 'Free Palestine'
Three people disrupted Tampere University's academic-year opening at the City Centre campus on Sept. 2, protesting Israel and the university's ties to Israeli academia, Aamulehti reports.
According to Aamulehti, three people interrupted Tampere University's academic-year opening ceremony at the City Centre campus on Wednesday, Sept. 2, staging a protest against Israel and the university's ties to Israeli academia.
The disruption came after rector Keijo Hämäläinen finished his opening speech. One protester stood and accused the university of being "stained with Palestinian blood." He demanded the university cut ties with Israeli academia and concluded by shouting "Free Palestine!"
Two others stood holding a Palestinian flag, one speaking in English; the group received applause and then left the hall.
The protesters also criticised last week's ECER 2026 conference, saying Israel was allowed to send researchers while Russia and Belarus were excluded. Similar anti-Israel demonstrations have taken place in Tampere earlier this year, including protests linked to the UMK Eurovision selection in February calling for Israel's exclusion and a related demonstration during the UMK events in the city centre around the UMK final.
Earlier coverage
- Protesters push to exclude Israel from Eurovision at UMK Feb 28, 2026
- Tampere hosts UMK final as protests call for boycott Feb 28, 2026
Catch the full story over at Aamulehti
