The National University of Rosario (UNR) issued a formal statement in which it apologized to the Argentine Jewish community following the screening of a film that makes apology for Palestinian terrorism and that was produced in collaboration with the terrorist organization Hamas.
In the message written by the rector Franco Bartolacci, and addressed to the Government of Javier Milei, the institution emphasized that the activity had no type of authorization or institutional endorsement.
The official response was directed to the Undersecretary of University Policies, Alejandro Álvarez, following a request for information about the event held in the university setting. In this context, the authorities clarified that the screening took place without prior knowledge from the rectorate.
The UNR statement
“This screening had no authorization or institutional endorsement from the UNR,” they stated in the document, which also highlighted that the university had no record of the activity taking place at the time it occurred.
Despite this, the educational institution acknowledged the seriousness of the incident and proceeded with a formal apology request. “Regardless of this, and even though we had no knowledge of the activity taking place, our institution owes an apology to the Argentine Jewish community, an apology that we formally extend to its authorities,” they expressed.
In the statement, the UNR reaffirmed its institutional positioning regarding the values it upholds as an academic environment. In this sense, it highlighted the role of the university as a space for plurality, but set clear limits in the face of such situations.
“The University is a cradle of diverse opinions, the circulation of ideas, and respect for the free expression of its community, but this exercise cannot validate, explicitly or implicitly and under any circumstances, the actions of organizations that are absolutely contrary to the principles and values we defend,” they affirmed.
The Undersecretary of University Policies, Alejandro Álvarez
As a result of the episode, university authorities implemented a series of internal measures aimed at clarifying what occurred. Among them, the legal departments were instructed to proceed with the necessary actions to determine responsibilities.
“Therefore, I instructed the relevant legal departments to initiate actions that will allow us to determine the responsibilities in this case,” they indicated in the official communication.
Additionally, the university notified its various departments about the situation, with the aim of preventing similar incidents from happening again within the institution. “In the same way, we sent notification to the departments of our University warning that an incident of this nature cannot be repeated,” they added.
Finally, the UNR reiterated its commitment to the values that guide its institutional actions. “The UNR advocates and acts in unrestricted defense of equality, freedom, democracy, and peace in the world,” concludes the document.
