Open letter from the Rector to the university community
Dear university members,
I am addressing all of you, in such hard times for our country, to express the deepest rejection to this series of hostilities between the Catalan Government and the Spanish Government which have taken place over the last weeks. All of this results from a political conflict that started long ago, a consequence of the inability to tackle this issue with the right tools: politics, in the most profound sense.
Dear university members,
I am addressing all of you, in such hard times for our country, to express the deepest rejection to this series of hostilities between the Catalan Government and the Spanish Government which have taken place over the last weeks. All of this results from a political conflict that started long ago, a consequence of the inability to tackle this issue with the right tools: politics, in the most profound sense.
I would like each of you to help solving the problem using the tool that distinguishes us humans: words. Like we all Catalan rectors said:
We believe dialogue is the only possible way to understand in democracy, that freedom of speech and mutual respect for the law are essential pillars, which are undeniable for democracy. The universal perspective which is characteristic of the university requires focusing on the most fundamental values, which are at the basis of coexistence and people's rights. All authorities and institutions must act with a scrupulous respect for these original values of democracy and freedom.
I believe we should strongly condemn the financial intervention in the Catalan universities and research centers which has been carried out by the Ministry of Finance and Civil Service. This protective measure completely blocks our regular functioning.
Any action we may take, regardless of its radical and overwhelming image, has to be framed within the non-violence field and respect for the legal framework of the people in Catalonia.
The commitment of the university to the self-government and institutions of Catalonia is total. Therefore, we have to set a negotiation to find a political solution to the problem, which has always been political. The University of Barcelona is offering help to re-establish the lost dialogue and negotiate a way to exit the current situation.
Joan Elias
Rector of the University of Barcelona