{"id":176613,"date":"2025-05-05T04:01:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T02:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/der-sker-en-stor-mobilisering-dansk-forsker-maerker-frihedskampen-paa-universiteter-i-usa\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T14:28:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:28:31","slug":"danish-researcher-a-fight-for-freedom-is-brewing-at-us-universities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/danish-researcher-a-fight-for-freedom-is-brewing-at-us-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"Danish researcher: A fight for freedom is brewing at US universities"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Lin Adrian first walked through the doors of Northwestern University in Chicago, she was met by a silent but forceful protest: A T-shirt printed with the words \u00bbDon\u2019t give in. It won\u2019t stop here.\u00ab<\/em><\/p>\n

Several professors at the university wore the T-shirt as a clear expression of the political reality they find themselves in.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt was during my first week here, and it happened in the wake of the US Congress demanding a long list of internal documents from our legal clinic (a unit where law students work on real cases under faculty supervision \u2014 ed.), including names of students and case files,\u00ab says Lin Adrian.<\/p>\n

\n

For or against Trump?<\/p>\n

We hear many voices from the world of research who are critical of the Trump administration\u2019s actions. But we would also very much like to hear the other side!<\/strong><\/p>\n

So if you are a researcher, student, or otherwise affiliated with the University of Copenhagen and have a positive view of Trump\u2019s new course for US universities, please write to the University Post at uni-avis@adm.ku.dk<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The mood was tense but also resolute, she says. At the last minute, and after the clinic\u2019s leadership filed a lawsuit, the request was withdrawn.<\/p>\n

Like many other academic institutions, Northwestern University in Chicago has become a target of President Donald Trump\u2019s new and hard-line approach towards the US research community.<\/p>\n

What started as a crackdown on pro-Palestinian groups and antisemitism has evolved into a broader campaign against academic freedom and what the US government labels as woke ideology. This includes initiatives that promote diversity, gender equality, and transgender rights.<\/p>\n

Legal aid and social justice projects targeted<\/h3>\n

Lin Adrian is a legal scholar and professor at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), and is currently a visiting researcher at Northwestern University\u2019s law school, which includes a legal clinic where students provide free legal aid and work on social justice initiatives. According to Lin Adrian, these activities are now also in the Trump administration\u2019s sights.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI\u2019m based in the clinic that works on mediation and conflict resolution. But on the same floor there are legal aid clinics that include support of the demonstrators who blocked the highway to O\u2019Hare Airport in protest against the war in Gaza. They were arrested, and now legal proceedings are underway,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Danish researcher in the US feeling the Trump pressure: \u00bbSurely, universities should be where we speak freely\u00ab<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Trump has frozen billions in federal funding to a wide range of American universities. According to Lin Adrian, Northwestern is one of them.<\/p>\n

The US government has, among other measures, demanded that universities shut down their diversity, equity and inclusion programmes (known as DEI) and allow for government oversight of hiring, teaching, and admissions.<\/p>\n

Insidious self-censorship<\/h3>\n

Lin Adrian does not hesitate to call Trump\u2019s approach to US universities \u00bba deeply disturbing attack\u00ab:<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe other day I spoke with a very experienced colleague who has nothing to fear \u2014 she could leave the university tomorrow if she wanted to. Still, she\u2019s cautious about what she says. It\u2019s not just about me<\/em>, she said, it\u2019s also about my university<\/em>. There is real concern about putting your institution at risk,\u00ab says Lin Adrian.
\n
\nShe recognises the mechanisms and the internal dialogue from her first weeks in the US.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI started asking myself what I could post on social media, and whether I could take part in demonstrations. Could I put myself or others at risk? But after a couple of weeks, I reached a point where I thought: The worst that could happen is that I won\u2019t be allowed back into the US. And I\u2019ll have to live with that. I won\u2019t censor myself,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

A political attack<\/h3>\n

According to Lin Adrian, the universities are not random victims of Trump\u2019s political offensive. On the contrary, they are a deliberately chosen battleground, because they are the producers of the knowledge that Trump doesn’t like \u2014 and because he sees them as both too elitist and too progressive.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt is truly frightening to be in a democratic country where the government openly targets freedom of expression and the universities. It\u2019s happening in broad daylight, and it is deeply concerning,\u00ab says Lin Adrian.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Danish students in the US reflect on visa fears and self-censorship<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

But there is no sense of discouragement. Neither at the University of Chicago nor elsewhere in the country \u2014 quite the opposite, in fact:<\/p>\n

\u00bbThere is a large mobilisation underway at the moment. When I arrived in the US at the beginning of March, the mood was one of shock. Now, it has quietly shifted to one of determination. There are protests, declarations being signed, and actions being organised across the country. I sense a growing, albeit still cautious, resolve among both researchers and students,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Does not want to support the system<\/h3>\n

Lin Adrian is on a three-month research stay in the US and does not expect to return any time soon. Not because she feels unwelcome, but because she does not want to support a system that is increasingly undermining its own democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Heading to the US? Check your devices, says rector<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

She says she would never have scheduled her research stay in the US if she had known how the situation would develop. It is not a system she wishes to support.<\/p>\n

And yet she is glad to be there now:<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt is valuable to be close to the resistance that is emerging. I sense that Americans appreciate having someone from the outside present to witness what is happening. It feels almost like a kind of collective relief when we talk,\u00ab she says.
\n
\nLin Adrian sees a parallel between her experiences at the university and the restorative processes that she does research on, where encounters between conflicting parties can serve as a release valve for tensions:<\/p>\n

\u00bbWhen victims and offenders meet in a controlled setting, it can bring relief and understanding. That\u2019s not what\u2019s happening here, but there is an element of it when you are present as an outsider and simply listen. It becomes a psychological release space for many,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Rector\u2019s advice for travel to the US underestimates the threat<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Fear and hope<\/h3>\n

Lin Adrian holds deep respect for the many researchers and students who stand up for academic freedom. But she also fears where the current political trajectory may lead:<\/p>\n

\u00bbMy fear is that Trump will be replaced by someone smarter and more effective than him. Someone who will continue the work of systematically undermining democratic institutions. There is already a shift towards something far more authoritarian, and it\u2019s happening openly and without shame,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Yet the ongoing mobilisation gives her energy:<\/p>\n

\u00bbThey have an incredible tradition of organising in the US. If this is to be stopped, it will be through collective action and protest. That gives me hope.\u00ab
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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08:30:46","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2048,"height":1638,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-480x384.png","medium-width":480,"medium-height":384,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-768x614.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":614,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-1280x1024.png","large-width":1280,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-1536x1229.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1229,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1638,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-290x232.png","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":232,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-290x180.png","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-700x560.png","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":560,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/linbeskaaret-990x792.png","extended-width":990,"extended-height":792}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"\u00bbThe other day I spoke with a very experienced colleague who has nothing to fear \u2014 she could leave the university tomorrow if she wanted. Still, she\u2019s cautious about what she says,\u00ab says Lin Adrian."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Freedom of research","text":"This is a story about what will follow","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>When Lin Adrian first walked through the doors of Northwestern University in Chicago, she was met by a silent but forceful protest: A T-shirt printed with the words <em>\u00bbDon\u2019t give in. It won\u2019t stop here.\u00ab<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Several professors at the university wore the T-shirt as a clear expression of the political reality they find themselves in.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt was during my first week here, and it happened in the wake of the US Congress demanding a long list of internal documents from our legal clinic (a unit where law students work on real cases under faculty supervision \u2014 ed.), including names of students and case files,\u00ab says Lin Adrian.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\">\n<p class=\"factbox-header feature-color\">For or against Trump?<\/p>\n<p>We hear many voices from the world of research who are critical of the Trump administration\u2019s actions. <strong>But we would also very much like to hear the other side!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So if you are a researcher, student, or otherwise affiliated with the University of Copenhagen and have a positive view of Trump\u2019s new course for US universities, <strong>please write to the University Post at uni-avis@adm.ku.dk<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The mood was tense but also resolute, she says. At the last minute, and after the clinic\u2019s leadership filed a lawsuit, the request was withdrawn.<\/p>\n<p>Like many other academic institutions, Northwestern University in Chicago has become a target of President Donald Trump\u2019s new and hard-line approach towards the US research community.<\/p>\n<p>What started as a crackdown on pro-Palestinian groups and antisemitism has evolved into a broader campaign against academic freedom and what the US government labels as woke ideology. This includes initiatives that promote diversity, gender equality, and transgender rights.<\/p>\n<h3>Legal aid and social justice projects targeted<\/h3>\n<p>Lin Adrian is a legal scholar and professor at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), and is currently a visiting researcher at Northwestern University\u2019s law school, which includes a legal clinic where students provide free legal aid and work on social justice initiatives. According to Lin Adrian, these activities are now also in the Trump administration\u2019s sights.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI\u2019m based in the clinic that works on mediation and conflict resolution. But on the same floor there are legal aid clinics that include support of the demonstrators who blocked the highway to O\u2019Hare Airport in protest against the war in Gaza. They were arrested, and now legal proceedings are underway,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/danish-researcher-in-the-us-feeling-the-trump-pressure-surely-universities-should-be-where-we-speak-freely\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Danish researcher in the US feeling the Trump pressure: \u00bbSurely, universities should be where we speak freely\u00ab<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump has frozen billions in federal funding to a wide range of American universities. According to Lin Adrian, Northwestern is one of them.<\/p>\n<p>The US government has, among other measures, demanded that universities shut down their diversity, equity and inclusion programmes (known as DEI) and allow for government oversight of hiring, teaching, and admissions.<\/p>\n<h3>Insidious self-censorship<\/h3>\n<p>Lin Adrian does not hesitate to call Trump\u2019s approach to US universities \u00bba deeply disturbing attack\u00ab:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe other day I spoke with a very experienced colleague who has nothing to fear \u2014 she could leave the university tomorrow if she wanted to. Still, she\u2019s cautious about what she says. <em>It\u2019s not just about me<\/em>, she said, <em>it\u2019s also about my university<\/em>. There is real concern about putting your institution at risk,\u00ab says Lin Adrian.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":176532,"id":176532,"title":"T-shirt f\u00f8rste","filename":"tshirtfoerste.jpg","filesize":506311,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/der-sker-en-stor-mobilisering-dansk-forsker-maerker-frihedskampen-paa-universiteter-i-usa\/t-shirt-foerste\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"t-shirt-foerste","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":176520,"date":"2025-04-30 08:38:29","modified":"2025-04-30 08:38:36","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1512,"height":1544,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-480x490.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":490,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-768x784.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":784,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-1280x1307.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1307,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-1504x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1504,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste.jpg","2048x2048-width":1512,"2048x2048-height":1544,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-290x296.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":296,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-700x715.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":715,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtfoerste-990x1011.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":1011}},"style":"narrow","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"The T-shirt worn by several professors at Northwestern University to express their dissatisfaction with Donald Trump\u2019s approach to US universities."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>She recognises the mechanisms and the internal dialogue from her first weeks in the US.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI started asking myself what I could post on social media, and whether I could take part in demonstrations. Could I put myself or others at risk? But after a couple of weeks, I reached a point where I thought: The worst that could happen is that I won\u2019t be allowed back into the US. And I\u2019ll have to live with that. I won\u2019t censor myself,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>A political attack<\/h3>\n<p>According to Lin Adrian, the universities are not random victims of Trump\u2019s political offensive. On the contrary, they are a deliberately chosen battleground, because they are the producers of the knowledge that Trump doesn’t like \u2014 and because he sees them as both too elitist and too progressive.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt is truly frightening to be in a democratic country where the government openly targets freedom of expression and the universities. It\u2019s happening in broad daylight, and it is deeply concerning,\u00ab says Lin Adrian.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/danish-students-in-the-us-reflect-on-visa-fears-and-self-censorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Danish students in the US reflect on visa fears and self-censorship<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But there is no sense of discouragement. Neither at the University of Chicago nor elsewhere in the country \u2014 quite the opposite, in fact:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThere is a large mobilisation underway at the moment. When I arrived in the US at the beginning of March, the mood was one of shock. Now, it has quietly shifted to one of determination. There are protests, declarations being signed, and actions being organised across the country. I sense a growing, albeit still cautious, resolve among both researchers and students,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Does not want to support the system<\/h3>\n<p>Lin Adrian is on a three-month research stay in the US and does not expect to return any time soon. Not because she feels unwelcome, but because she does not want to support a system that is increasingly undermining its own democratic institutions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/heading-to-the-us-check-your-devices-says-rector\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Heading to the US? Check your devices, says rector<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>She says she would never have scheduled her research stay in the US if she had known how the situation would develop. It is not a system she wishes to support.<\/p>\n<p>And yet she is glad to be there now:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt is valuable to be close to the resistance that is emerging. I sense that Americans appreciate having someone from the outside present to witness what is happening. It feels almost like a kind of collective relief when we talk,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"If this is to be stopped, it has to be through collective action and protest. This gives me hope","quotee":"Lin Adrian, guest researcher at Northwestern University","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>Lin Adrian sees a parallel between her experiences at the university and the restorative processes that she does research on, where encounters between conflicting parties can serve as a release valve for tensions:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWhen victims and offenders meet in a controlled setting, it can bring relief and understanding. That\u2019s not what\u2019s happening here, but there is an element of it when you are present as an outsider and simply listen. It becomes a psychological release space for many,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/rectors-advice-for-travel-to-the-us-underestimates-the-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Rector\u2019s advice for travel to the US underestimates the threat<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Fear and hope<\/h3>\n<p>Lin Adrian holds deep respect for the many researchers and students who stand up for academic freedom. But she also fears where the current political trajectory may lead:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbMy fear is that Trump will be replaced by someone smarter and more effective than him. Someone who will continue the work of systematically undermining democratic institutions. There is already a shift towards something far more authoritarian, and it\u2019s happening openly and without shame,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the ongoing mobilisation gives her energy:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThey have an incredible tradition of organising in the US. If this is to be stopped, it will be through collective action and protest. That gives me hope.\u00ab<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top stories at the University of Copenhagen","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":45,"name":"International","slug":"international","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":45,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":315,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":14,"name":"Portrait Article","slug":"portrait_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":803,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":674,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tshirtsome-1280x640.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176613"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176662,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176613\/revisions\/176662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}