The vice-rector of the University of Barcelona (UB) Jordi Matas presented his resignation this Wednesday following accusations of sexual harassment by a student in 2016, as confirmed by the center in a statement.
“Dr. Jordi Matas has presented the resignation of his management responsibilities in order to be able to launch without institutional limitations the legal actions he believes are appropriate to defend his honorability,” the message reads.
In the statement, the center insists on its “defense of the protection of people” in the area of ??sexual freedom and its policy of “zero tolerance” regarding this type of behavior. The text details that the reported events took place years ago and at the time “were subject to analysis” in accordance with the then-existing protocol.
“There is a precedent in the consideration of the facts and a qualification of the evidence,” they maintain, and add that “it is absolutely legitimate that with the current perspective assessments can be made on this issue, but it is not feasible to assume as true that the works of those moments on the facts result in a failed resolution that has to be reopened” because “it would imply the disqualification of the actions.
They also reject “any manifestation of violence or public accusations towards the people involved” and have called for “prudence and respect.”
The case was investigated after the student reported the events at the university’s Equality Unit in 2017. The digital elDiario.es revealed messages of sexual content from this professor of Political Science to the student and even the insistence on seeing her. in person. According to the information, her colleagues helped her hide from him. Despite presenting the messages as evidence, the investigation was closed without any sanction.
His dismissal comes after a hundred professors from the university center asked this Wednesday for an independent investigation into the alleged case of sexual harassment. In a letter that ACN has been able to access, the signatories requested the precautionary dismissal of Matas as vice-rector while the investigation is carried out.
They also demand that the university’s harassment case evaluation procedures be comprehensively reviewed, with a guarantee of independence from the Rectorate and the university hierarchy; some protocols that they understand have been questioned.
The signatory professors express “zero tolerance” towards sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the university and also convey a message of “solidarity” to the victims. In this sense, they affirm that “it is the responsibility of the entire community, including the university, to protect the victims and transparently investigate complaints.” The letter has gathered a hundred signatures in less than 24 hours.
This request is added to that of the University students. This Tuesday, about 200 students gathered in the Faculty of Letters of the historic building of the UB to demand the resignation of the professor. They also accused the Rectorate of protecting him.