Executive Board responds to Baudet: ‘Academic freedom always comes first’

The Executive Board of Erasmus University Rotterdam speaks out against the challenging of academic freedom. In doing so, the university leadership is indirectly responding to Thierry Baudet’s victory speech in which he stated that universities are ‘undermining’ society and to the ‘indoctrination hotline’ that his party Forum voor Democratie (English: Forum for Democracy) called into effect.

“To restrict the academic freedom is something which we do not believe fits in a open society and is therefore condemnable”, the Executive Board writes in a statement on the university’s website. “We believe that our scientists and professors should be able to do their work in all freedom. Both, in the field of education as well as research. Within this, there is room for all mindsets. Of scientists, teachers and of students.”

'Universities are undermining society'

Over the past few days, several universities responded to the Forum voor Democratie (FVD) ‘indoctrination hotline’ and Thierry Baudet’s winning speech. In that speech, the FvD leader said that ‘universities are undermining society’. The rector magnificus of Maastricht University, Rianne Letschert, responded on twitter: “Setting up a hotline goes against everything Maastricht University stands for: independent academic pursuit, academic freedom and being a safe learning and working environment.” University of Amsterdam’s Chair of the Executive Board Geert ten Dam shared this viewpoint and called the hotline ‘disrespectful’.

Scientific society KNAW and university association VSNU currently see insufficient cause to respond to Baudet.

Accusations

On Wednesday, a group of scholars in Nijmegen called upon their Executive Board to take a stand against the accusations of Baudet. Such a call to action did not arise in Rotterdam, according to a spokesperson for the Executive Board. “We thought it a good idea to send a clear signal after all the commotion that was started after Baudet’s remarks concerning universities and the party’s hotline.”

In Groningen, the fact that Paul Cliteur (professor in Leiden and prominent FvD party member) would be visiting, caused unrest; he will be giving a presentation there during the event Nacht van de Filosofie (English: A Night of Philosophy). Groningen’s Ukrant (a university newspaper) wrote that philosophy students and lecturers are outraged at Cliteur’s visit.

FvD party leader Baudet will be a guest at the Erasmus University on 11 April. He will be speaking at the annual conference of study association In Duplo, in the Erasmus Paviljoen, and will be debating about the energy transition with Jan Rotmans, Professor in Transition Management and Sustainability.