Joint declaration by the Executive Board of the Saxony State Rectors' Conference, the Thuringia State Rectors' Conference and the German Rectors' Conference:
The federal states of Thuringia and Saxony have elected new parliaments. In the coming weeks, the elected members of parliament will come to an agreement on the formation of a government. It is important for science and universities that university autonomy and academic freedom are preserved. Only in this way, science can realise its full potential for the economy and society. Openness to the world is an important contributor in this respect: only a university that thinks and acts internationally can be competitive and fit for the future. An open and international campus and the mobility of teaching staff and students provide essential foundations for high-quality teaching, learning and research. We are proud of and expressly support the fact that people from all over the world and from the most diverse backgrounds study and work at our universities. To ensure that this remains the case, an environment is required that guarantees the protection against discrimination enshrined in the German constitution.All parties and all citizens are called upon to ensure that hostility towards academia, restrictions on academic freedom, racism, intolerance, and ideas and stereotypes based on exclusion are not normalised. We remain committed to strengthening cohesion in society and trust in liberal democracy.
