Swiss University Cancels Amnesty Panel Featuring Francesca Albanese

The University of Bern cancels a panel featuring UN official Francesca Albanese, as her record of antisemitic and pro-Hamas statements draws criticism from Western governments and Jewish organizations

Jun 29, 2025

The University of Bern (UoB) has canceled an Amnesty International panel discussion titled “Justice and Accountability for Palestine” that was set to feature Francesca Albanese, the controversial UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories. Originally scheduled for Monday, June 30th, the event was called off by the university, which cited concerns over a lack of balance and mounting external pressure from concerned Swiss civilians over Albanese’s repeated antisemitic and pro-Hamas statements. Organizers have stated that the event will still take place, in an as of yet undetermined location.

Event Details and Key Participants

Francesca Albanese, known for her outspoken criticism of Israel, was scheduled to headline the UoB panel. Amnesty International, the event’s organizer, also recognized for its highly critical stance on Israel, expressed disappointment at the cancellation. Amnesty spokesperson Beat Gerber defended Albanese as an independent expert and suggested that the university had given in to outside pressure. The university, however, maintained that it could not guarantee a balanced discussion, citing concerns about the event’s impartiality.

Albanese and Amnesty: Accusations of Bias and Extremism

Both Francesca Albanese and Amnesty International have faced repeated accusations of harboring anti-Israel and antisemitic biases. Albanese has a documented history of inflammatory statements, including equating Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany, comparing the Holocaust to the Palestinian “Nakba,” and suggesting that a “Jewish lobby” controls U.S. foreign policy, remarks widely condemned as antisemitic by governments and organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). She has also participated in conferences organized by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, where she has encouraged “resistance” against Israel and dismissed Israeli security concerns as pretexts for oppression.

Amnesty International, for its part, has published reports accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and called for arms embargoes, positions that have been criticized by Western governments as one-sided and inflammatory.

At a March 2022 luncheon with the Women’s National Democratic Club in Washington, D.C., Amnesty International USA Executive Director Paul O’Brien stated, “We are opposed to the idea — and this, I think, is an existential part of the debate — that Israel should be preserved as a state for the Jewish people,” and added that Israel “shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state.”

Also, after the death of senior Islamic Jihad member Khader Adnan following an 86-day hunger strike, numerous NGOs falsely blamed Israel for his death and erased his leadership role in a terror group, despite his public calls for violence and the subsequent rocket attacks launched by PIJ and Hamas in his name.

Similarly, when convicted terrorist Walid Daqqah died in prison, Amnesty International mourned him as a “Palestinian writer” and criticized Israel, while downplaying his leadership of a cell that abducted, tortured, and murdered an Israeli soldier.

Both Amnesty and Albanese have been accused of minimizing or rationalizing terrorist violence against Israeli civilians, particularly in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.

A Pattern of Cancellations

This is not the first time events featuring Francesca Albanese have been called off due to her antisemitism and pro-Hamas bias. In February 2025, two major German universities, the Free University of Berlin and Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, canceled scheduled lectures by Albanese after significant political and public backlash, including direct appeals from the Israeli ambassador and Berlin’s mayor. Dutch authorities and the Dutch parliament have also previously withdrawn invitations for Albanese to speak, citing similar concerns over her rhetoric and associations. In the UK, protests and events linked to her campus tour have been canceled or disrupted due to security and reputational concerns.

Controversial Associations: The Samidoun Episode

Albanese’s participation in events has also drawn scrutiny for her willingness to share platforms with figures linked to designated terrorist organizations. In late 2024, she was initially scheduled to keynote the “Coordinating Council 4 Palestine” conference in Montreal alongside Charlotte Kates, the leader of Samidoun, a group designated as a terrorist entity by both Canadian and U.S. authorities due to its ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Albanese withdrew only after significant public outcry from Jewish organizations and calls for her to be barred from Canada. This episode further fueled criticism of her judgment and associations.

Condemnation from Western Governments

Francesca Albanese has been repeatedly condemned by multiple Western governments for her rhetoric and actions. The United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Canada, and Argentina have all publicly criticized her statements, particularly those that appear to justify or minimize antisemitic violence and liken Israel to Nazi Germany. The U.S. State Department has described her as unfit for her UN role, citing her “antisemitic hatred, bias against Israel, and the legitimization of terrorism”. France and Germany made history by jointly condemning a UN rapporteur for antisemitism after Albanese suggested the October 7 massacre was not antisemitic but a response to Israeli oppression. The Netherlands and Hungary have also denounced her “one-sided and often prejudiced remarks,” while the U.S.’s leading Jewish organizations have called for her removal from her UN post.

The cancellation of the Bern event is the latest chapter in a growing international reckoning with Francesca Albanese’s conduct and the broader discourse around Israel, antisemitism, and academic freedom. As Western governments and academic institutions grapple with these challenges, the debate over where to draw the line between free speech and hate speech remains as urgent as ever.