QUB department to be closed after they hosted the Charlie Hebdo conference last year

QUB is set to close the department responsible for organising the Charlie Hebdo conference last year.

The Collaborative Research in the Humanities (ICRH) department at Queen’s planned the conference to discuss the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The conference was cancelled in April due to security risk concerns, and then went ahead after public criticism.

The QUB Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Adrienne Scullion, announced the department closure in a letter, stating that ICRH: “will cease operation from 31 July, with all activities being wound up with immediate effect”.

The department feared that last year’s conference was a security risk for Queen’s

Oxford University’s Dr Brian Klug, who attended the Charlie Hebdo conference, told the BBC: “It augmented the university’s reputation in the world. In particular, the symposium on the Charlie Hebdo affair was outstanding, setting an example of social responsibility for other universities to follow.”

A spokesperson from Queen’s added: “As part of this exercise, the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is evolving a strategy to grow more collaboration and cross-disciplinary research and teaching activity. The ambition that the university and the faculty has for collaboration and cross-disciplinary activity is being taken forward in a number of new ways. These include the establishment within the faculty of a new global research institute – the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice.

The department of 19 staff will close in July.