Manchester University staff sign letter in support of Whitworth gallery director | University of Manchester

More than 100 members of staff at the University of Manchester have signed a letter opposing an attempt to force out the director of the Whitworth Art Gallery (Wag), calling it a “grave violation of academic and artistic freedom of expression”.

The Guardian reported last week that Alistair Hudson was asked to leave his post by the university over a row regarding a statement of solidarity with Palestine’s “liberation struggle”, which was removed from an exhibition of works by the human rights investigations agency Forensic Architecture.

It followed a series of complaints by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which advocates for Israeli causes. UKLFI told the Guardian they had “suggested that the university should take appropriate disciplinary action” against Hudson in September.

Sources also said the university had explicitly cited Hudson’s response to the fallout from the exhibition as reason for his alleged ousting.

In a new statement shared with the Guardian, staff across the university, as well as members of Forensic Architecture, said they were “gravely concerned and outraged at the attempt to force out” Hudson.

“We demand that he be reinstated and an apology issued by the UoM to this grave violation of academic and artistic freedom of expression,” they said.

The statement said it was “damaging and dangerous” that the university “supported the idea that a statement against Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people was an act of antisemitism, and forced its removal.

“Forcing out the Wag director six months after the event is therefore not only punitive, but also shows that the UoM will not support and defend its staff when and if under pressure from outside organisations.”

The controversy dates from August, when a statement was removed from the exhibition exploring how pollution, chemical attacks and the aftermath of explosions affect marginalised people in places around the world, including Palestine.

The letter added: “After demonstrations from staff and students (including over 13,000 letters of support for Forensic Architecture sent to the UoM senior management team) the solidarity statement was reinstated, but a counter-statement was exhibited alongside it.”

A protest against the university’s action against Hudson “and their censoring of support for Palestine” is expected to take place at Whitworth Hall on Tuesday.

In Tuesday’s open letter, university staff demanded “that the UoM reinstate Alistair Hudson and apologise to WAG, the wider UoM staff, and UoM students for this grave violation of the principle of academic and artistic freedom. We also extend our solidarity to the Palestinian people for the right to live with freedom and in dignity.”

One of the organisers of the letter told the Guardian the letter had received “such a large endorsement” within days. They called the alleged move to oust Hudson a “chilling precedent” that they said risked damaging the prospects for politically engaged research “and further marginalising Palestinian solidarity in UK universities”.

Colleagues, they said, were “also profoundly saddened that the episode threatens to seriously damage the international reputation” of the university.

It comes as a group of 23 artists – including the Turner prize winners Helen Cammock, Tai Shani and Oscar Murillo – said they are pulling their work from the Manchester leg of a prestigious touring art exhibition in support of Hudson, Palestinians, political freedom and artistic expression.

The University of Manchester pointed to a previous statement that said staffing matters “remain strictly internal to the university” and it would not comment on Hudson, whom it described as “our current Whitworth director”.

A spokesperson added: “We would, however, like to address the explicit criticism in the coverage that the university has in some way suppressed academic and artistic freedoms, or bowed to external pressures. We refute such claims entirely. Museums and galleries have traditionally been a space of experimentation and challenge and we hope that the Whitworth is a place where we can debate, discuss and disagree well.”