Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000895/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Fabrice Leggeri (PfE), Malika Sorel (PfE), Catherine Griset (PfE)
On 7 October 2024, exactly one year after the massacre in Israel, Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University, a member of the Erasmus+ programme, posted a message on its X account glorifying Hamas[1].
Previously, the university’s rector had already been accused of paying tribute[2] to ‘martyr’ Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in July 2024.
On 13 December 2024, the Commission wrote[3] that it was ‘currently investigating allegations made in the press, in cooperation with the national agency in Türkiye’ and that it had ‘asked the national agency to suspend the contracting process for the grant agreement on the recently selected cooperation project referred to in the Honourable Member’s written question until there is more clarity on the matter.’
However, two months before the Commission’s statements, the director of the Turkish national agency responsible for implementing Erasmus+ visited the University of Gaziantep and reiterated the Turkish state’s support for it. He even publicly praised its rector[4].
- 1.Does the Commission see no contradiction in the fact that it is investigating a Turkish university accused of sympathising with Hamas ‘in cooperation’ with a national agency whose head has supported the university in question in the face of these accusations?
- 2.When did the Commission begin investigating in ‘cooperation’ with this agency?
Supporter[5]
Submitted: 3.3.2025
- [1] https://x.com/gibtuni/status/1843258883352993960?s=12&t=BA8bZwb7Haunbvzca9wNhA
- [2] https://www.lejdd.fr/societe/erasmus-lunion-europeenne-sous-le-feu-des-critiques-pour-avoir-integre-une-universite-pro-hamas-150023
- [3] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-10-2024-001922-ASW_EN.html
- [4] https://x.com/ulusalajans/status/1846524202175631726?t=TK_UuTMBsy-6q4xTJDuJ7w&s=35
- [5] This question is supported by a Member other than the authors: Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE)