In an interview with AD, student representatives expressed strong criticism of the plainclothes security officers at Leiden University. They claim that these officers have been photographing students on campus, including at events and demonstrations. Furthermore, the university is allegedly hiring students to spy on their peers.
In a statement, the university acknowledged that plainclothes security officers are indeed present in the buildings. These ‘qualified security officers’ would become ‘recognisable to everyone after being deployed a few times.’
Global security concerns
The university’s statement mentioned that it is working on safety ‘in visible and less visible ways.’ “The aim is to prevent unauthorised persons and those with ill intentions from entering our campus. This is a complex challenge given the current global security situation.”
Although not explicitly stated, the university likely fears strong student protests against its ties with Israel. This aligns with accounts from students interviewed by AD, who reported being subjected to increased scrutiny, particularly if wearing symbols such as a Palestinian scarf.
Informants
And what about the informants among the students? “Students are not being paid to collect information on their peers”, the university’s statement clarified. “However, the university does employ student assistants who, based on open sources (such as the internet), provide security briefings on events and incidents worldwide that could impact Leiden University.”
The Dutch National Student Union (LSVb) has condemned the use of ‘student spies’ and also finds the deployment of plainclothes security officers absurd. “It goes against every form of academic freedom or social norm one could imagine”, they stated in response.
Dutch Data Protection Authority
But is the university indeed overstepping its boundaries? “Secretly monitoring people is certainly not permitted without justification”, the Dutch Data Protection Authority commented when asked. “In general, there are rules for activities like security and surveillance at universities. Which rules apply exactly depends on the specific circumstances.”
The spokesperson could not confirm whether the authority is investigating this particular case. “That information is confidential.”
