The Palestinian writer Bissan Edwan will keep her title, scholarship, and apartment in Lund as the municipality's sanctuary writer, despite expressing support for the terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, in social media posts. Leading politicians in Lund's culture and leisure committee reached this decision after seeking help from external legal expertise. This outcome resolves a contradiction in reports that had left uncertainty over whether the program would be ended or upheld, with the committee formally deciding to continue the collaboration.
Bissan Edwan has been Lund municipality's sanctuary writer since last year, having arrived through a program intended to give her two years of sanctuary to complete two books. Born in Libya in 1975 to Palestinian parents and raised in Egypt, she was forced to leave Egypt in 2020 after repeated criticism of Egyptian authorities' treatment of Palestinian refugees. Through the sanctuary project, writers who face censorship or persecution in their home country receive a two-year scholarship, free housing, and a network in local cultural life, with Edwan being the third writer Lund has hosted in collaboration with the International Cities of Refuge Network.
In social media posts, Edwan expressed support for Hamas and other terror-labeled organizations, as well as their leaders, and praised Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. She also incorrectly wrote that no Israeli civilians were killed in the attack, which claimed 1,200 lives, mainly civilians, and saw 250 others taken hostage in the single worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. These posts included expressions of support for the terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
We make the assessment that comments that glorify and encourage terror stand in such great contrast with our values that we can no longer offer the platform that the sanctuary writer program entails.
Lund municipality initially sought to terminate Edwan's appointment after Expressen revealed in December that she had expressed support for Hamas and urged celebration after the October 7 attack in social media posts. The formal decision was made in the culture and leisure committee on Thursday evening, following a process where the municipality backed down and did not interrupt the collaboration with the Palestinian sanctuary writer. On December 22 last year, Expressen published an article about Edwan's old social media posts, prompting the municipal review.
Legal considerations played a key role in the decision, with the committee's chairman Sebastian Jaktling stating there is a 'considerable risk' that the municipality would otherwise violate the so-called reprisal prohibition. This legal principle, which protects against retaliation for expression, influenced the outcome despite earlier statements from officials.
In Sydsvenskan, 42 cultural workers joined together in an appeal expressing that Bissan Edwan should be allowed to complete the sanctuary program. This perspective emphasizes the program's purpose of offering refuge to persecuted writers, regardless of political controversies.
To punish a writer for their opinions is not a way to protect democracy, but a threat to it.
Counterarguments emerged from 17 other cultural workers who in their own debate article argued that stopping sponsorship of Bissan Edwan does not affect her freedom of expression, but prevents taxpayers from funding someone who supports terrorism. This debate reflects broader societal divisions over how institutions should respond to controversial political views expressed by funded individuals.
Bissan Edwan did not want to give an interview before the committee's decision but commented on Lund municipality's actions in an email to SVT. Her response underscores the personal stakes involved, as termination would have affected her livelihood and creative work.
The commitment costs the municipality over 900,000 kronor, covering Edwan's scholarship, housing, and program support over the two-year period. This financial aspect adds weight to the decision, as public funds are being used to support a writer whose views have sparked controversy and calls for defunding.
I became very happy about the news. That the municipality changes its decision to terminate the collaboration with me shows that they follow the constitution which protects freedom of expression, which is the reason why I am in Sweden.
A parallel case involves Saima Akhtar, who was the diversity and inclusion coordinator at Cabot Learning Federation, a multi-academy trust running Bristol Brunel Academy. Akhtar has now been dismissed by CLF after describing Hamas militants as 'heroes fighting for justice' and supporting the October 7 attacks, which claimed 1,200 lives, mainly civilians. Her case contrasts with Edwan's, showing different institutional responses to similar expressions of support for Hamas.
Akhtar's role included sitting on the council of Bristol Brunel Academy, a body designed to hold the school principal and leadership team accountable regarding academic quality, staff wellbeing, and student safeguarding. The school faced controversies involving Israel-related events, including criticism for canceling an appearance by Labour MP Damien Egan, who is vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, after buckling under pressure from planned protests by National Education Union members and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. It also barred a speaker from Israeli-owned Check Point software technologies from a summer conference in July.
In social media posts, Akhtar urged people to ignore 'media attempts to paint Israel as a victim' just a day after the massacre, and on the day of the massacre, she quoted Nelson Mandela in a Facebook post. The following day, she added that 'Palestine is fighting back' against Israeli 'apartheid', and on October 16, 2023, she stated that the real problem is the West and the mainstream media, who are liable for ethnic cleansing and genocide because of their unprecedented support of Israel. Akhtar also boasted about attending Free Palestine protests in Bristol and openly quoted Hamas's call for the destruction of Israel.
CLF commenced an investigation into Akhtar's comments on social media after The Times published a story highlighting them, leading to her dismissal. After discovering she had lost her job, the diversity chief insisted she was not a 'leader' in the academy hierarchy.
These cases raise implications for freedom of expression, public funding, and institutional responses to controversial political views, particularly regarding support for Hamas or the October 7 attack. They highlight tensions between protecting expressive rights and ensuring public resources do not support views deemed to glorify terrorism, with outcomes varying by legal context and institutional policies.
Unknowns include the specific legal advice provided by external expertise to Lund's committee, the exact content and context of Edwan's social media posts, and the full details of CLF's investigation and dismissal process for Akhtar. It is also unclear how many other individuals or institutions are facing similar controversies over expressions of support for Hamas or the October 7 attack.