These are dark times in our community, our city, our state, our nation and our world. Wars rage across the globe, economic uncertainty looms and our basic freedoms are under assault.
For years, but especially since Oct. 7, 2023, Tufts Friends of Israel has been fighting for what we see as a better world. Some of that fight has been about improving dialogue on campus surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict, but most of it has directly concerned war and pain thousands of miles away.
We were horrified to hear of and see the video documenting the arrest of Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk. Half a dozen plainclothed, unidentified officers swarmed an unassuming Öztürk and led her away in an unmarked vehicle. It sickens us that a member of the Tufts community was arrested blocks from campus for no apparent reason and without committing any alleged crime.
Let us be clear: We strongly oppose the content of the op-ed that Öztürk coauthored last year. We thought it was unfair, unhelpful and inaccurate. We still believe those things. But her actions — which, as of now, appear to be limited to speech — are not grounds for detention. We will continue to counter rhetoric and actions we deem harmful. But, we will fight even harder for everyone’s right to speak freely and without fear.
We are acutely aware that some groups on campus have tried to shut down our speech before and might continue to do so, but restricting freedom of speech is flat-out undemocratic and un-American. Freedom of speech in a democracy is sacred. It ensures that dissent is heard and that people can express themselves — it is the best tool we have to fight tyranny. Right now, our freedom of speech is under attack.
If any of us do not have the right to speak freely, then none of us have freedom of speech.
History calls upon us to fight injustice whenever and wherever it may appear. No good has ever come from assaults on basic civil rights like freedom of speech, nor has it come from silence in the face of that assault. So, while some people may believe that this issue does not affect them because they don’t hold Öztürk’s perceived beliefs or because they are not visa holders, we believe those people are wrong. This is precisely the time to speak out. As Elie Weisel, a Holocaust survivor and proud supporter of Israel, said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
The detainment of Rümeysa Öztürk is plain wrong. And we stand firmly against it.
