Resolution on Resisting the Far-Right Assault on Higher Education

Radical Right parties and their ideology have been on the rise all over Europe in the last few decades.  In recent years, these forces — particularly those aligned with extremist authoritarian ideologies — have systematically identified higher education as a target in their broader political strategies. Across the globe—and within Europe itself—universities, academic disciplines, and student unions are under mounting pressure from governments and political actors seeking to suppress dissent, delegitimize critical knowledge, and undermine institutional autonomy. These developments threaten not only students and academics, but the democratic fabric of society itself. 

Disabling education is not a side effect of authoritarianism — it is one of its primary tools. Higher education is often among the first sectors attacked when regimes aim to consolidate power. By neutralizing spaces of critical inquiry, limiting access to independent knowledge, and silencing student voices, such regimes create the conditions for unchecked ideological control.

The global nature of this threat is starkly illustrated by developments in the United States during the presidency of Donald Trump. Since the beginning of 2025, his administration has launched an aggressive campaign to reshape U.S. higher education, targeting institutions it perceives as ideologically oppositional — most notably Harvard University. Universities have been pressured to reform their governance structures, admissions policies, and campus environments in line with state-imposed directives. In response to non-compliance, the federal government has frozen research funding and threatened to revoke tax-exempt status and international student programs. Though framed as efforts to combat alleged ideological bias, these actions exemplify a broader authoritarian strategy: using state power to coerce ideological conformity, marginalize dissent, and erode the institutional autonomy that underpins democratic education.

Similar authoritarian tendencies are increasingly visible within Europe. In Turkey, the government has systematically dismantled academic freedom since the 2016 coup attempt. Thousands of academics have been dismissed or criminalized, and university leadership is now appointed directly by the president. In 2025, the country saw a deepening of state interference in higher education, marked by politically motivated actions such as the revocation of university diplomas and the suppression of student dissent. A particularly visible example was the annulment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s degree, widely viewed as a tactic to exclude political opponents from democratic participation. This move sparked nationwide protests led by students and academics, which were met with police crackdowns, arrests, and digital censorship. These developments reflect a broader strategy to undermine academic autonomy, intimidate student movements, and turn universities into instruments of political control.

Elsewhere in Europe, member unions of the European Students’ Union have reported growing political pressure and structural threats:

• In 2025, Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), leading coalition negotiations, proposed withdrawing from the Bologna Process and introducing excessively high tuition fees – an elitist move which would limit access to higher education and isolate Austrian institutions from the European academic community. At the same time, the FPÖ is openly advocating for the abolition of the mandatory membership of the legally anchored and democratically elected Austrian National Students’ Union (ÖH), which it frames as an ideological adversary – a change which would effectively cut off its primary funding stream and critically limit its outreach. These proposals signal a broader effort to erode student representation and reshape higher education along exclusionary lines. 
• In Germany, the far-right AfD repeatedly attempts to interfere with the autonomy of universities and student bodies. For example, it uses inquiries in parliament to control and interfere with the financial autonomy of student bodies or to question their mandate in higher education policy. It also calls for the abolition of study programmes and research fields that it considers unscientific, like Gender Studies – a clear attack on the freedom of research and teaching.
• In Belarus, the ideologisation of education has intensified under the combined influence of authoritarian governance and increasing Russian interference. The Ministry of Education has introduced compulsory “patriotic education” courses based on Kremlin-aligned narratives, including the justification of the war in against Ukraine and anti-Western rhetoric. Russian institutions have been actively involved in curriculum development and teacher training, contributing to a broader russification strategy that undermines Belarusian identity and autonomy, promotes Russian far-right, fascist ideology, and restricts the academic research environment. Universities are pressured to align with state narratives, discouraging critical inquiry and further isolating Belarusian academia from the international academic community. Dozens of students and professors have been expelled, detained, or criminally prosecuted for expressing dissent or supporting democratic values — many accused of “extremism” simply for not aligning with the authoritarian regime.
• In Portugal, the far-right Chega party has advocated for radical reforms targeting higher education, proposing the dissolution of the Ministry of Education and transferring control of public universities and polytechnics into private hands—effectively dismantling the public education system. Chega has simultaneously championed policies aimed at imposing a conservative curriculum, explicitly opposing what it deems “LGBT propaganda” and promoting rigid “Judeo-Christian” values, marginalizing diverse perspectives within educational institutions. These measures represent a broader strategy to undermine academic freedom, weaken state-supported higher education, and reshape Portuguese universities according to exclusionary and ideological criteria.
• In Romania, in the current increasingly tense political climate, extreme nationalism is on the rise. As society becomes more and more polarized, some groups become more and more radical, attacking intellectualism, denying science, weaponizing minority rights and spreading hate speech. For students and academics, this is deeply concerning — especially in a country where, just 35 years ago in Bucharest’s University Square, chants of “Death to intellectuals” echoed during a brutal crackdown on democracy.
• the Netherlands, where the biggest far-right party is sitting in government, the cabinet announced they wanted to cut 10% of the budget for higher education and research. This will impact grants for young researchers and has already led to several HEI’s announcing the closure of small study problems.
• In Sweden, the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) have increasingly targeted higher education. The party has argued that public funding should be withdrawn from universities that engage in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, framing such efforts as ideological rather than academic. SD has also submitted motions to close or merge higher education institutions that are commonly regarded as having strong profiles in subjects and areas associated with progressive or critical perspectives. In 2025, the party further stated that it is open to introducing direct ministerial control over public authorities if included in a future government, a position that would challenge Sweden’s long-standing administrative tradition of autonomy from political interference, particularly as universities are formally classified as government agencies. These developments signal a growing effort to subject higher education to ideological control and undermine academic freedom.

These examples indicate that the global shift to the far right has detrimental consequences for civil society. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has sounded the alarm over the growing influence of far-right political movements, particularly in Europe, warning about the undermining of fundamental human rights. And truly, these threats in the education sector in various member states, driven by far-right economic and ideological agendas, stand in direct conflict with Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to free and equitable education. Together, these developments highlight how far-right policies and rhetoric can erode democratic values and human rights protections. The European community has to respond accordingly to counteract this rise of the far right, not only with reactive, but also with preventative measures.

Therefore, ESU calls for: 

• The fundamental right to education to be protected against the current climate of democratic backsliding and anti-intellectualism. 
• The European community to unequivocally condemn the shift towards  extreme right and anti-intellectual politics & European stakeholders to actively work against this shift towards the far right. 
• The protection of international cooperation within the academic community and condemning efforts to isolate national education systems from international communities e.g. the Bologna process.
• A firm commitment and concrete steps to safeguard free higher education across Europe, and to reject the instrumental use of tuition fees as a gatekeeping mechanism in line with exclusionary agendas.
• Protection mechanisms for academic fields under political threat and support scholars and students facing repression.
• HEIs to recognise their own responsibility in the fight against the far-right and work independently for an open environment. They should be places free of extremist actors and right-wing ideology in teaching and beyond. HEIs should support the commitment of students and staff as well as external initiatives against the extreme right.
• HEIs to explicitly protect international students and advocate for common standards for non-discriminatory visa procedures, study access, and legal protection for mobile and international students, as right extremist policies pose a big threat to them.
• HEIs to specifically promote research projects that deal with the causes, structures, phenomena and effects of extremism and it´s interlinkages to education. Universities should also provide political education and make the knowledge they acquire about extremism accessible to the general public.
• Safeguarding student representation from far right political forces seeking to directly or indirectly undermine their autonomy, legitimacy, or operational capacity.