Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, antisemitism has increased, also in higher education. Some Jewish students are afraid to attend their classes, fear members of parliament.
Dismantling
In the debate, a controversial professor from Radboud University Nijmegen was mentioned. He advocates for the dismantling of the state of Israel due to the violence against Palestinians. On X, he posted things like “Fuck Israel”. Ja21 asked what the minister was going to do about this.
The minister found these expressions ‘disgusting’, he replied. “I find it difficult to accept that young people are being educated by people who make these statements.” However, he cannot intervene. He is not the employer of this professor.
But the employer, Radboud University Nijmegen, is doing little about it for now. The professor is allowed to have his own opinion, according to the policy stated in the AD newspaper. The university is also not responding yet to a call from a group of students to improve safety on campus, for example, by filing a report of antisemitism. However, the university administration stated in Vox (the university’s newspaper) that nothing has happened yet that is prohibited.
Faster reporting
The House of Representatives struggled with this issue last night. In a debate with Education Minister Eppo Bruins, almost all parties agreed that educational institutions should file reports of antisemitism more quickly.
The minister agreed with the House and said he would discuss it again with the administrations. “The willingness to file reports must increase”, he said, “otherwise, you can never determine if criminal acts are being committed.” However, he added a caveat: “Legally, I can’t force anyone to file a report.”
Members of parliament were frustrated by the lack of lawsuits related to the riots in Amsterdam or antisemitism on campuses across the country. According to Jan Paternotte (D66), this created a sense of impunity. “We, as the House, want to do something about the intimidation of Jewish students. It would be nice if we saw concrete consequences.”
Strategy
Bruins listed a number of measures he is already taking. House rules have been established for protests, and institutions have increased security. Additionally, the cabinet has set up a national task force against antisemitism and developed a strategy to combat antisemitism. This strategy includes, among other things, a focus on Jewish students in policies regarding social safety.
But on Thursday, the House wanted more action from the minister. Can the Education Inspectorate not oversee safety in higher education, asked the VVD. The inspectorate is already doing that, Bruins answered. Let’s train confidential advisors to recognize antisemitism, suggested the ChristenUnie. That, too, is already happening, said Bruins.
The minister repeatedly promised to engage with university administrators about their safety policies. “In case of incidents, I even go so far as to call individual administrators to emphasize that a report must be filed.” However, it turns out that not always is there something going on: “The newspaper had something in big bold letters about an incident with a broken window, but the rector told me it was actually an act of nightlife violence.” So, no antisemitic violence.
Phone
Much more than picking up the phone, I cannot do in the case of incidents, said Bruins. After all, universities and universities of applied sciences are autonomous. In the case of criminal offenses, the ‘triangle’ of the mayor, police, and Public Prosecution Service is involved, and the minister is not part of that. However, he can ensure that everyone is well-prepared, for example, by having conversations about the necessity of enforcement and access controls.
Nevertheless, the House of Representatives is calling for more ‘central coordination’ in the universities’ security policies. In an NSC motion, co-signed by JA21, ChristenUnie, SGP, VVD, and D66, it was stated that the minister should do this ‘while preserving the autonomy of the institutions.’ The minister agreed with this, he said.
