In the wake of UN Watch’s latest exposé, a major event by Amnesty International featuring pro-Hamas UN official Francesca Albanese has just been vetoed by a Swiss university.
In a statement to the public, the University of Bern, situated in the capital of Switzerland, said that it withdrew its permit for the Amnesty International panel because “the balance of the event could not be guaranteed.”
“It can be assumed that this has something to do with speaker Albanese,” reported Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The Swiss newspaper went on to list several of Albanese’s extreme, hateful and antisemitic statements, which have sparked unprecedented condemnations by France, Germany, Canada, the U.S., Argentina and the Netherlands.
This includes her 2022 participation by video at a Hamas conference where she told the terrorist organization: “You have a right to resist.”
In its press statement, the university said it is essential that events organized by outside groups be “science-based and balanced,” and that Amnesty International’s request was initially approved on the condition that it be “respectful, balanced and science-based.”
The University of Bern said it had relied on Amnesty International’s statements regarding the planned panelists, that they would be “independent and level-headed voices.”
However, “a subsequent review revealed that the University of Bern did not consider the balance to be right.” Accordingly, the university withdrew the permit for the use of its premises.
UN Watch Welcomes Ban on Hamas Terrorist-Supporter Albanese
UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer welcomed the decision: “We commend the University of Bern for taking a stand against preachers of terrorism and hate. Just as Switzerland last month banned Hamas as a terrorist organization, no Swiss institution should legitimize and amplify hatred and violence promoted by Hamas supporters like Francesca Albanese.”
“This is a victory for truth. It’s a victory for decency. It’s a victory for everyone who refuses to stay silent when the UN gives cover for terror,” said Neuer in a video.
Uptown Geneva Still to Host Albanese
Despite the cancellation by the University of Bern, Albanese is still scheduled to speak this Thursday at an Amnesty panel in Geneva.
The event is to be held in the Uptown Geneva theater, which is run by Emmanuel Clerc. In 2023, Uptown Geneva, claiming they were fooled, also hosted notorious French Holocaust denier Dieudonné.
Francesca Albanese’s major event with Amnesty International got vetoed in the Swiss capital. Last month,🇨🇭 banned Hamas. Now the UN’s Hamas apologist got shut down. This is a victory for truth, for decency, and for everyone who refuses to stay silent as the UN covers for terror. pic.twitter.com/AV8QyRQda6
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 29, 2025
