Vilnius Academy of Arts students boycott lecturer's workshops over his support for Israel

Students at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, in the Lithuanian capital, have boycotted workshops led by graphic artist, animator and film director Danas Bereznickas, saying they wanted to take a principled stand against Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank. The lecturer says he is being unfairly targeted for his personal political views, according to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.

Bereznickas, who has taught at the academy for several years, was due to lead a weeklong series of workshops this autumn semester as a visiting lecturer from Belgium. He was later told they would not go ahead. The academy told LRT.lt that only one student had registered.

Bereznickas says he subsequently learned that several students had questioned his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urged others to boycott. He noted the course had been popular in earlier years. According to him, an attempt to save it by opening registration to students from other years was allegedly blocked by the academy's management.

The lecturer's view

Bereznickas acknowledged holding strong views on Israel and Palestine, which also appear in his social media posts. He argues that politics should be kept separate from professional work and says he does not discuss it during the course. What upset him most, he said, was the management's failure to encourage discussion or look for a solution.

The students' explanation

The organisers, whose identities were withheld at their request, said their concerns began after they viewed his social media profile. They also learned he had served in the Israeli armed forces, which he confirmed to LRT.lt. The students acknowledged his professional merit but said their political and ethical convictions outweighed it. They called on the academy to cut ties with Israeli higher education institutions and rejected claims that the boycott was antisemitic, saying they criticise a political movement, Zionism, not a religion.

The academy's position

The academy denies that its management ordered the cancellation, insisting that the workshops did not take place because too few participants signed up. It says it maintains political neutrality and respects the right of its community members to express their views, provided they follow the law and internal rules.