Ko ács, K isz a; Leonha d, Julian
A icle — Published Ve sion
Speaking Ou on Campus: The Uni e si y as a Pla o m o
F ee Speech o Academic Discou se?
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ko ács, K isz a; Leonha d, Julian (2025) : Speaking Ou on Campus: The
Uni e si y as a Pla o m o F ee Speech o Academic Discou se?, Ve assungsblog, ISSN 2366-7044,
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Speaking Ou on Campus
The Uni e si y as a Pla o m o F ee Speech o Academic
Discou se?
17.10.2025
K isz a Ko ács
Julian Leonha d
This a icle belongs o he deba e » Mapping A icle 13: Academic and Scien i ic F eedom unde he EU
Cha e
17 Oc obe 2025
Campus p o es s ha e been es ing Eu opean uni e si ies. The demons a ions a F eie Uni e si ä Be lin
highligh ed he ension be ween seeing uni e si ies as open spaces o ee speech and ega ding hem
p ima ily as ins i u ions dedica ed o academic discou se. Ge man cou s ha e leaned owa d he la e
app oach, whe eas EU law p o ides a b oade scope o academic eedom while s ill ying i o academic
con ex s. Al hough he upcoming Eu opean Resea ch A ea Ac does no appea o add ess his issue,
guidance om EU law could help uni e si ies s ike a be e balance be ween p o ec ing he igh o
p o es and sa egua ding academic eedom.
P o es s a FU Be lin
P o-Pales inian p o es s ook place almos a yea ago a F eie Uni e si ä Be lin (FU). Sho ly a e , ou
people ecei ed depo a ion o de s om he Landesam ü Einwande ung (LEA, in English, Be lin
Immig a ion O ice). Thei only common was pa icipa ion in he p o es s a he FU campus, which
in ol ed se ious p ope y damage. Each depo a ion o de ci ed Ge many’s na ional pledge o de end
Is ael – i s S aa s äson ( aison d’é a ) – as jus i ica ion, aming he beha iou o he ac i is s as indi ec
suppo o Hamas and i s a ilia ed o ganisa ions. No ably, he o de s did no men ion ha he p o es s
we e di ec ed agains Is ael’s wa a e in Gaza, no ha bo h he In e na ional Cou o Jus ice and he
In e na ional C iminal Cou had al eady issued s ong c i icism o Is ael a he ime.
All ou p o es e s iled u gen mo ions o in e im measu es, alongside appeals challenging he legali y o
he o de s. The Ve wal ungsge ich Be lin (VG Be lin, in English, Be lin Adminis a i e Cou ) g an ed a
suspension o he depo a ion o de s un il he conclusion o he main p oceedings, easoning ha he
LEA should ha e sough in o ma ion om he public p osecu o ’s o ice on he ongoing cases agains he
p o es e s be o e issuing depo a ion o de s. By ailing o do so, he LEA neglec ed i s du y o in es iga e.
(La e , i was epo ed ha all ou p o es e s ul ima ely won hei cases, hough he main p oceedings
appea o emain pending.)
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The cou app oached he ma e as a ques ion o eedom o mo emen in an EU law sense, a he han
one o ee speech o academic eedom. One eason may ha e been ha h ee o he ou p o es e s
we e EU ci izens, which led he cou o ely on he guidance o he Cou o Jus ice o he EU (ECJ)
when assessing whe he he p o es e s’ conduc in ano he EU Membe S a e posed a p esen and
se ious h ea o an impo an social in e es . (VG Be lin Beschl. . 10.4.2025 – VG 24 L 91/25, BeckRS
2025, 7044, pa a. 8). Ano he eason may ha e been ha none o he p o es e s we e en olled a FU a
he ime. Ne e heless, hese cases aise impo an ques ions abou whe he , and o wha ex en ,
peace ul campus p o es s a e p o ec ed unde na ional and sup ana ional (EU and ECHR) law.
P o ec ing Speech on Campus
B oadly speaking, he e a e wo main heo e ical app oaches o p o ec ing speech on campus. The i s
holds ha academic eedom s anda ds go e n eaching and esea ch, while he gene al igh o ee
speech p o ec s b oade public discou se on campus (see, e.g., Whi ing on, Cole). As he seminal
Kal en Commi ee Repo o he Uni e si y o Chicago pu i , he uni e si y is he home o c i ics; i s
obliga ion is o p o ide a o um o he mos se ious and candid discussion o public issues. To p ese e
hese condi ions, he uni e si y should emain neu al: i canno ake collec i e ac ion on public issues
wi hou endange ing i s exis ence and e ec i eness. This ins i u ional neu ali y complemen s he ulles
eedom o acul y and s uden s as indi iduals o pa icipa e in poli ical ac ion and social p o es . Since a
b oad commi men o ee speech is essen ial o a uni e si y’s iden i y, con en -based egula ions should
no apply o campus p emises. Applying his app oach o he FU p o es , a peace ul p o-Pales inian
demons a ion should ha e been pe mi ed on campus and p o ec ed as ee speech.
The o he heo e ical iew a gues ha uninhibi ed ee speech on campus can unde mine academic
p ac ices, and ha uni e si ies should ins ead p io i ise hei epis emic mission— he pu sui and
dissemina ion o u h—o e se ing as enues o all o ms o speech (see, e.g., Simpson). Acco ding o
his iew, speech mus be u e ly ee in he class oom, bu need no be equally ee in o he campus
spaces (see, e.g., T ibe). A campus-wide ee speech cul u e, as Simpson con ends, may dilu e he
in ellec ual igou equi ed o p epa e s uden s as in o med ci izens. F om his pe spec i e, campus
e en s should be e ed agains academic s anda ds, allowing e en con en -based es ic ions. P o es s
o discussions would no be pe mi ed i hey ailed o align wi h he uni e si y’s in ellec ual mission. In he
con ex o he FU p o es , a peace ul p o-Pales inian p o es on campus would only be allowed i i
con o med o he uni e si y’s educa ional mission by con ibu ing o a ional, e idence-based, and
plu alis ic dialogue on c i ical social issues. Academic eedom does no ex end o wholly un ela ed
poli ical issues o o dis up ions o eaching.
The Ge man unde s anding
Ge man ju isp udence subsc ibes o he second heo e ical app oach. The Ge man Fede al
Cons i u ional Cou has con i med ha pa icipa ion o s uden s in academic discou se – such as in a
semina o lec u e – is co e ed by academic eedom unde A icle 5(3) o he Basic Law (BL), acco ding
o which “a s, sciences, esea ch and eaching shall be ee” (see, e.g., BVe GE 35, 79 (125 .);
BVe GE 55, 37 (67 .); BVe GE 141, 143 (164)). Howe e , hese judgmen s, along wi h lowe cou
decisions (see, e.g., VGH Kassel Beschl. . 23.7.1979 – VI OE 69/78, BeckRS 1979, 109103) indica e
ha s uden s’ academic eedom o exp ession – p o ec ed unde A icle 5(3) BL a he han he gene al
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igh o eedom o exp ession unde A icle 5(1) BL – does no ex end o gene al poli ical issues. I is
limi ed o he opics o academic discussion o issues o uni e si y policy, and i may be u he es ic ed
by academic eedom unde s ood as he acul y’s p o essional eedom (see, e.g. Gä di z, Ogo ek).
Poli ical exp ession by s uden s and acul y is ins ead p o ec ed unde A icle 5(1) BL. Ye gi en he
cou s’ unde s anding o he uni e si y’s mission, he lec u e s’ eedom o each, and he uni e si y’s du y
o p o ec i , he la e in e es usually p e ails when con lic s a ise.
Ge man ju isp udence also ecognises ha eedom o assembly p o ec s he igh o choose he loca ion
o a p o es (see, e.g., Zimme mann). S ill, i is widely accep ed ha his igh does no ex end o places
ha , unde he ci cums ances o he case and a he ime o he assembly, a e no publicly accessible and
ha do no unc ion as public o ums (see, e.g., Di sche l). Acco dingly, cou s – suppo ed by li e a u e
such as B aun and Kniesel – ha e dis inguished be ween di e en ypes o uni e si y p ope y: p o es s
a e pe mi ed on o ecou s and lawns, bu no in lec u e halls o co ido s wi hin uni e si y buildings. In
he cou s’ iew, he o me p o ide a public space o communica ion, whe eas he la e a e ese ed o
uni e si y membe s o academic and eaching pu poses (see, e.g., VGH Mannheim Beschl. . 15.5.2025
– 9 S 666/25, BeckRS 2025, 13877, pa a. 37).
Thus, he Ge man unde s anding o campus speech sugges s ha academic eedom is essen ial o he
pu sui o knowledge bu does no equi e uninhibi ed ee speech ac oss he en i e campus. Bu does
his unde s anding comply wi h EU law?
Pla o ms o academic discou se
A icle 13 o he EU Cha e o Fundamen al Righ s (Cha e ) codi ies, o he i s ime wi hin he
Eu opean con ex , he eedom o scien i ic esea ch and academic eedom. I s ipula es: “The a s and
scien i ic esea ch shall be ee o cons ain . Academic eedom shall be espec ed.” The ECJ ga e e ec
o A icle 13 wi h i s judgmen in Commission Hunga y.
Wha does his mean o campus speech? A icle 52(3) o he Cha e equi es ha Cha e igh s
co esponding o hose in he Eu opean Con en ion on Human Righ s (ECHR) mus ha e he same
meaning o , a he e y leas , he same scope as hose gi en by he S asbou g Cou . Since academic
eedom in ECHR ju isp udence is p o ec ed unde he ee exp ession clause o A icle 10, academic
eedom in EU law likewise gua an ees, among o he hings, he igh o academics o exp ess
con o e sial o unpopula ideas on ma e s o public conce n wi hin hei expe ise, wi hou ea o
epe cussion. Opinions no based on sus ained o comple ed esea ch may s ill be ee speech, bu no
academic eedom. This dis inc ion is ele an when schola s o s uden s p o es on campus.
The ECJ has inco po a ed his unde s anding o ee speech in he academic con ex in o EU law, bu i
has no s opped he e. The ECJ in e p e s A icle 13 mo e b oadly by e e ing o AG Koko ’s opinion,
which emphasises ha “ he uni e si y se es as a pla o m o academic discou se and a ne wo k and
in as uc u e o eaching s a , s uden s, and dono s” (pa a 146). Thus, e en unde EU law, campus
speech is condi ioned by academic eedom. Uni e si ies a e pla o ms o academic discou ses, bu hey
a e no obliged o p o ide pla o ms o all ypes o speech.
A i h eedom
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The Eu opean Pa liamen ecen ly adop ed wo esolu ions add essing conce ns abou academic
eedom. In 2023, he EP called on he EU o espec and p omo e academic eedom as well as he
eedom o conduc scien i ic esea ch and each (amendmen o A icle 3 TEU). I also sugges ed
amending he T ea y on he Func ioning o he Eu opean Union (TFEU) o include hese eedoms as
objec i es o he EU (amendmen o A icle 179(1) TFEU) and p oposed c ea ing a sha ed compe ence
o educa ion (amendmen o A icle 4(2)(kc) TFEU).
A yea la e , he Eu opean Pa liamen u ged he Commission o p opose a legally binding ac a he EU
le el. The Commission is cu en ly p epa ing he Eu opean Resea ch A ea Ac . Howe e , he scope o
his seconda y legisla ion appea s limi ed: i ocuses exclusi ely on he eedom o scien i ic esea ch and
on es ablishing a “ i h eedom”— he ee mo emen o esea ch and knowledge. I does no seem o
p o ide guidance on how o in e p e and p o ec academic eedom, no does i de ine he ole o
uni e si ies.
To he ex en possible wi hin compe ence cons ain s, add essing hese issues h ough EU law would be
bene icial, as he e a e no clea legal p eceden s in Eu ope on how uni e si ies should espond o
p o es s on hei p emises. This lack o cla i y o en lea es uni e si ies s uggling o make he igh
decisions.
Fu u e EU ac ions in he ield could d aw on he app oach implici ly adop ed by he Ge man cou s and
he ECJ: ea ing he uni e si y as a pla o m o academic discou se. This idea has oo s in Eu ope,
unlike he one a icula ed in he Kal en Repo , which iews he uni e si y as a home o c i ics and a
o um o discussion o all public issues.
In oducing clea legal s anda ds in he sha ed Eu opean academic space would help ensu e ha
s uden s can pa icipa e in law ul p o es s wi hou ea , and ha academics can openly exp ess hei
iews on hose p o es s – and on he poli ical e en s ha igge hem – wi hou ea o epe cussions.
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SUGGESTED CITATION Ko ács, K isz a; Leonha d, Julian: Speaking Ou on Campus: The Uni e si y
as a Pla o m o F ee Speech o Academic Discou se?, Ve Blog, 2025/10/17,
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