The prestigious Collège de France has canceled a planned two-day colloquium on “Palestine and Europe,” which was set to take place on November 13 and 14. According to a report from Le Monde, the decision was made “in reaction to the controversy surrounding” the event.

Opponents of the conference, including the organization Licra, had labeled it an “anti-Zionist fair” and a “misuse of a prestigious institution”. The administrator of the Collège de France cited the responsibility for “security of persons and property” and the “serenity of events” as reasons for the annulment. In its official statement, the institution affirmed its “strict neutrality… regarding questions of a political or ideological nature”. France’s Minister of Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, called the cancellation “responsible” and stated that “defending academic freedom is defending a free, respectful, and pluralistic debate”.

Our Take

This incident places a critical institution at the center of a difficult dilemma. The Collège de France cited “strict neutrality” and security to justify the cancellation, but this highlights a core tension The 451 Institute monitors: when does an institution’s attempt to avoid conflict result in the disruption of its core mission? Universities, as critical institutions, exist to advance and disseminate knowledge, a process that requires fostering robust, even uncomfortable, disagreement. When external political pressure and accusations of “activism” lead to the cancellation of academic events, it subordinates the mission of inquiry to the demands of polarization. We believe there is a better way.