Statement by the Political Science Department at the University of Kassel on the Abolition of the Civil Clause and the Police Operation on Campus

The repeal of the “civil clause” and the police operation on the University of Kassel campus on November 4–5 mark a turning point. A protest sign held by students asked, “Is this supposed to be democracy?” This question is valid and has stayed with us ever since.

We are addressing this statement to the university administration and the public. 

On November 4, 2026, the Senate decided to abolish the University of Kassel’s civil clause, despite widespread concerns raised by all student groups over the course of several weeks. We condemn in the strongest terms the subsequent police operation against peaceful protests and the eviction of students from an occupied lecture hall. It was disproportionate and criminalizes students who are advocating for a civil and democratic university. These events have shaken our confidence in the University of Kassel as a democratic educational institution.

As an educational institution, a university must not only enable processes of democratic education but also actively promote and support them. Especially against the backdrop of authoritarian developments, universities must be and remain a democratic role model. Peaceful protests and civil disobedience are indispensable for democratic participation and the formation of public will. Ending them through police violence contradicts this mission just as much as the Senate’s disregard for the democratic decision-making process of students and staff in its decision. In a campus-wide vote, 82% of participating students voted in favor of retaining the old civil clause.

It is unacceptable to us—as faculty, professors, and research staff—that students on campus were subjected to racist, transphobic, and sexist comments and threats, as well as physical violence by the police, during a police operation. Furthermore, we criticize the criminalization of peaceful student protests by the university administration and the Hessian state government. 

In times of climate crisis and geopolitical conflicts, the university should commit to using its full potential to research nonviolent solutions. The fact that the civil clause was abolished is not merely an expression of the belief that democracy must also be defended militarily. Economic and political interests also lie behind this decision. Collaboration with the arms industry and its suppliers promises external funding to some departments. As a result, research and teaching are oriented toward economic and political interests rather than academic freedom. 

The goal of an “open and democratic university” for “a socially just, ecologically and economically sustainable future” should not merely serve as a marketable slogan, but must guide research, teaching, and interactions with students.

•  We condemn the actions of the university administration and the police in handling student protests as an unnecessarily aggressive response to legitimate democratic participation. 
• We demand a democratically legitimate process that establishes how decisions regarding non-civil research projects will be made in the future. 

The Political Science Department