Muslim Rights Watch Netherlands opens hotline after dozens of anti-Palestinian posts by professor

Muslim Rights Watch Netherlands has set up an Erasmus University hotline. The reason, a spokesperson for the advocacy group told EM, is ‘multiple reports and notifications of an unsafe situation’. “That is partly caused by the professor’s racist and pro-Zionist statements on X.” The organisation warns it will hold demonstrations on campus if the university does not take action.

In dozens of posts on platform X a professor from the Erasmus School of Law expressed their views about Gaza and Palestinians. The account has been offline for months, but screenshots of the posts are circulating within the university. A PhD candidate from the faculty has forwarded these to many staff members. Erasmus Magazine has seen the screenshots.

The screenshots show that the professor in question, among other things, shared posts denying the hunger in Gaza. Posts that described murdered journalists as terrorists were also shared, and posts stating that Israel’s actions in Gaza are not wrong but actually great. The advocacy group Muslim Rights Watch Netherlands (MRWN) demands the professor’s dismissal and is threatening to hold demonstrations on campus.

“The rhetoric expressed by this professor encourages violence against Palestinians, Arabs, journalists and Muslims”, the organisation says. “It is specifically this rhetoric that creates support for terror against these groups.” Students and staff feel unsafe because of the professor’s statements, a spokesperson for the organisation told the tegen het Rotterdams Dagblad earlier. “These are not incidents. In our view, this is about justifying genocide.”

MRWN plans to file a complaint against the professor for incitement to hatred and discrimination. The spokesperson also confirmed to EM that the organisation is planning a demonstration, possibly as early as next week. On their social media MRWN says it will take action on Monday 1 September at 11.00. Exactly what that will involve is not yet clear.

Freedom of expression

A spokesperson for Erasmus University could not yet respond to questions from Erasmus Magazine about the hotline and the professor’s posts. To the Rotterdams Dagblad the university was cautious because of privacy considerations. It does confirm, however, that the university is aware of the posts and that the professor has been reminded that racist, discriminatory and offensive comments will not be tolerated.

A university spokesperson also emphasised to the newspaper that ‘freedom of expression is an important value’. “The university does not judge expressions on their content and does not act as a referee on opinions. We are a place where there is room for different perspectives, where debate may be uncomfortable, provided the conversation can be conducted respectfully and safely.”