Students protest during President Stubb’s speech at University of Tampere

A group of students staged a brief protest during President Alexander Stubbs’ speech at the University of Tampere’s auditorium. Several students stood up from their seats and voiced their opposition to the war in Gaza, delivering their message in English. The entire event was conducted in English as part of Stubbs’ Wednesday visit to the university. Soon after their statement, the protesters left the auditorium in a line while chanting slogans in support of Palestine. Stubb had just begun his remarks when the group interrupted him. He remained calm and attentive to the protesters’ concerns.

This wasn’t the first demonstration at the university regarding Palestinian rights. In May, a group of university students expressed similar sentiments, prompting the university to call the police as students reportedly entered staff areas without permission. The protesters wanted to engage in dialogue with the university administration about the situation of Palestinians. They were disheartened by the lack of response from the university leadership regarding their calls for an academic boycott of Israel, which includes severing all forms of collaboration.

During his visit, President Stubb met with local leaders and representatives from the regional defense industry during a luncheon hosted by Tampere’s Mayor, Kalervo Kummola. Following his speech, he headed to the Tampere Workers’ Institute, where he participated in a panel discussion on culture’s role in society, chaired by the city’s cultural director, Sampo Terho. Stubb’s visit will conclude with a meeting at the technology company Insta Group, a long-time strategic partner of the Finnish Defense Forces.