For Respect, Dialog, and an Open Society

President Hesthaven emphasizes the importance of tolerance and exchange

“Geopolitical crises put a strain on international science cooperations and induce the risk of fragmenting communities. And yet, science can also be a role model in difficult times, staying close to long-standing partners, helping to build bridges and keeping the space for dialog open,“ says KIT President Professor Jan S. Hesthaven.

“Science thrives on exchange, acknowledging differences and promoting diversity.“ With its students and employees from more than 120 countries, KIT stands for open mindedness, dialog and tolerance. “It is important for me that KIT remains as a place that offers a safe and inclusive space for dialog,“ says Hesthaven. KIT therefore rejects any discriminatory, racist, anti-Semitic or Islamophobic statements and actions. The delicate differences between academic freedom and freedom of expression as well as the balance between freedom of expression and protection against discrimination are becoming increasingly complex, Hesthaven points out. As open and inquisitive spaces, universities are particularly faced with the growing challenge of facilitating discourse without excluding individuals or encouraging discrimination.

As a member of the Bündnis für Demokratie und Menschenrechte Karlsruhe (Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights Karlsruhe), which was founded in April this year, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with more than 40 initiatives, churches, religious communities, parties, associations, clubs, and institutions from Karlsruhe, advocates our free democratic basic order. 

KIT’s Executive Board supports the German Rectors' Conference in its appeal for a decisive rejection of anti-Semitism at universities as well as in its current demand to protect universities as an open space for discourse. By adopting its Diversity Statement, KIT as a public institution and employer has already emphasized the value of diversity of all people.

mle, May 15, 2024, updated October 8, 2024

Im Hintergrund ist das Foto einer Demonstration gegen Rechtsextremismus in Karlsruhe. Darüber liegt das Logo des KIT. Foto: Stadt Karlsruhe, Boris Burghardt / Collage: KIT
As a scientific institution, KIT stands for cosmopolitanism and tolerance.