Statement of the Department of Political Science concerning the Civil Clause
Debate on the ‘civil clause’: a lesson in democratic decision-making
Public statement by the Department of Political Science, 3 November 2026
For several months now, there has been a debate at the University of Kassel regarding the ‘civil clause’.
Since 2013, this clause has stipulated that research, teaching and development must be exclusively
committed to peaceful aims and serve civil purposes. On 4 November, the Senate plans to decide on the future of the civil clause.
As political scientists, we wish to emphasise that the public debate within the university, as well as initiatives by students and staff, constitute an important lesson in democratic decision-making: democracy thrives on people organising themselves and making their views heard within the framework of the Basic Law. The protests organised by students should also be understood in this respect as an important expression of democracy in action. We welcome these forms of democratic participation, as universities are places where democratic values are to be taught and practised. In particular, the reformulation of a university’s constitution should only be decided upon following a broad, university-wide debate and the participation of all constituent groups.
The student initiative ‘Zivilklausel bleibt!’ and the General Students’ Committee (AStA) organised a student
plenary assembly on 24 June 2026, attended by approximately 700 students, and called for a
referendum on the issue. In this ballot, 82.3 per cent voted in favour of retaining the
civil clause. In contrast, 16.9 per cent voted in favour of the rewording under discussion in the Senate. Voter turnout, at 3,845 votes cast (18.69 per cent), was even higher than the turnout in the last university elections.
At the start of the winter semester, the staff initiative ‘Zivile Uni Kassel’ launched a comprehensive website containing background information on the process as well as arguments in favour of retaining and strengthening the civil clause. A petition initiated by the initiative was signed by several hundred staff members, including 50 professors from almost all of the university’s departments.
Against this backdrop, the Political Science Section appeals to all
Senate members to take the result of the student ballot and the staff petition
seriously as an expression of democratic will, and to take them into account in their
decision on 4 November.