He investigates hatred and threats

Investigates the extent of threats

Researchers and teaching staff at the university are in a vulnerable position. For some, threats and harassment are part of everyday life. But the full extent of the problem has thus far not been known.

Now David Brax, Senior Advisor at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, intends to find out what the situation is like at the University of Gothenburg.

Text: Lotta Engelbrektson Photo: Johan Wingborg Collage: Anders Eurén THE DEGREE AND NATURE of harassment of researchers and teaching staff vary. It can be anything from nasty attacks on social media to actual death threats. David Brax has personally experienced being subjected to threats. A couple of years ago, he found a dummy bomb outside the door of his workplace. – We do not know what message they were trying to send, as there was no message and the investigation was closed, he says.

The debate flares up at regular intervals, especially when something specific has happened. Most recently when Professor Jonas Ludvigsson from Örebro announced that he was leaving COVID research after receiving threats and being subjected to threats and attacks online.

But the question is whether these individual events are exceptions? Or if there are researchers who are regularly subjected to harassment?

David Brax wants to know more about the extent of the problem. – I want data on the threats. It is important to have a good basis for knowing where interventions may be required, he says.

THE SURVEY WAS compiled in collaboration with the organisation Sulf, and has approximately the same structure as Politikernas trygghetsundersökning, PTU (the Politician’s Safety Survey). The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) investigates, on an annual basis, via the so-called PTU survey, how vulnerable elected politicians feel.

Now the same questions will be asked of Sulf’s members. – This will also help us find out which groups are most vulnerable, if there is a difference between women and men, and if there is harassment that can be linked to ethnicity, but also whether the threats come from outside or inside the university, says David Brax.

HE BELIEVES THAT it might be easier to get support if the threat is external rather than if it is a conflict that has arisen at the university. The climate of debate between researchers can occasionally be exacerbated, and the boundaries are not always obvious. For example, when does a heated exchange of opinions turn into personal attacks? – There is a difference between how you perceive a situation and how much you take offence. There will certainly be a discussion about where the boundaries lie. The only thing we can do is report the threats separately based on the degree of severity.

IT HAS LONG BEEN known that certain types of research can cause particularly strong emotional outbursts. Issues related to climate, racism, migration and gender, for example, often end up attracting particular attention. Similarly, research areas that involve animal experiments as a natural part of the process. – It can involve all sorts of issues that people get involved in. When someone has made an emotional, material, ideological or moral investment in a particular issue, it can be perceived as a threat when a researcher says that the person is wrong, says David Brax.

He also believes that there is a huge amount of under-reporting when it comes to harassment, and that many people feel very alone when they are subjected to it. Therefore, it is important that people who have been badly affected feel that they have the support of their employers, and that they know where to turn when the situation gets heated. – An inquiry is currently underway into increased legal protection for journalists, politicians and artists. I wish that researchers could also be included in this, says David Brax.

In the long term, this exposure risks leading to certain voices being silenced in public discourse, as the thought of the consequences can feel too overwhelming. Some researchers already know in advance what will happen if they set up an interview or participate in a public discussion. – And if researchers refrain from communicating due to fear, we have an even bigger problem, says David Brax.

– Threats aiming at intimidating or harming must always be reported to the police, says David Brax.

And if researchers refrain from communicating due to fear, we have an even bigger problem.

DAVID BRAX

FACTS

Over the next few weeks, the survey will undergo an ethical review. In the spring of 2021, the survey will be sent to Sweden’s university lecturers and researchers, Sulf’s members. The report is expected to be completed in the autumn.