Letschert says it is sad that meeting of Jewish students could not go ahead in Maastricht

It is unacceptable that a meeting of Jewish students at Maastricht University did not go ahead because of safety concerns, says minister Rianne Letschert.

During a debate on science policy, several parties in the House of Representatives asked questions about a small meeting organised by a Jewish student association, which Maastricht University cancelled because of safety concerns.

The lecture was about Hamas’s attack on 7 October and the three years that followed. Supporters and opponents of the meeting urged their followers to attend, and the university no longer felt able to go ahead with it. The student association and the pro-Israel organisation involved, StandWithUs, reacted furiously.

Unacceptable

Minister Letschert, formerly chair of Maastricht University’s Executive Board, says it is sad that the meeting could not go ahead. She wants to talk to the universities’ association UNL. In the parliamentary debate, she called the cancellation ‘unacceptable’.

The university is said to have consulted the mayor, the Public Prosecution Service and the police before deciding to cancel the meeting. Relocating it proved impossible: the new venue was leaked straight away.

The minister did not want to blame anyone, but believes things could be handled better. She and her fellow minister for justice recently met with university executives, mayors, the Public Prosecution Service and the police.

Letschert is evidently frustrated that university executives and local authorities have to work things out for themselves when faced with a threat. She wants a ‘more uniform’ response when such situations arise, she told the House, ‘so that university executives can count on and trust that response’. Those discussions will continue.

A squad of police officers

JA21 asked why local authorities had not simply sent a squad of police officers to ensure the meeting could go ahead. It was a small gathering – how serious could the threat have been?

The CDA also asked questions about this. It understood that the police could do little as long as there was no ‘disruption’ and that the university had to make its own assessment, ‘but in this way, you can always ensure that a meeting of Jewish students cannot go ahead’.

“I think we agree”, said the minister, “the only question is what measure you expect from me.” It is difficult for her to determine what the police should do in such a case; she does not have that authority.

So she can only talk to those involved to improve the way such situations are handled in future. The VVD understood that, but urged her to act quickly: “This damages the standing of universities.”

Academic freedom

The parties see the cancellation of the meeting as an infringement of academic freedom. This irritated D66 somewhat. It is also concerned about the incident, but seemed to accuse JA21 in particular of crocodile tears. JA21 has previously supported setting up a hotline for left-wing lecturers. Is that not a threat to academic freedom?

JA21 did not think that was a serious concern. The danger comes mainly from within universities, it argued, through conformity and self-censorship. For example, the party claimed, without further explanation, that there was no room for criticism of critical race theory.

Three reports

The minister was not yet ready to share her views on academic freedom. She has received two recommendations from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), but wants to respond only after a third report, from the Rathenau Institute. That report has not yet been published.

Will she protect academic freedom through new legislation, as the KNAW recommends? MPs asked about this, but received no answer. The minister promised to return to the issue before Christmas.