{"id":96644,"date":"2019-03-25T13:49:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T12:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=96644"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:15","slug":"volkert-where-are-you-lecturer-suspended-after-facebook-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/03\/25\/volkert-where-are-you-lecturer-suspended-after-facebook-post\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Volkert, where are you?\u2019 Lecturer suspended after Facebook post"},"content":{"rendered":"

Utrecht University has suspended a lecturer after he wrote ‘Volkert, where are you?’ in a Facebook comment about Forum voor Democratie\u2019s recent win in the provincial elections. The university called it a \u2018despicable reaction\u2019.<\/p>\n

The lecturer\u2019s comment was a reference to Volkert van der G. \u2013 the man who murdered the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002. His employer received a mass of complaints in response. On Friday, Utrecht University announced<\/a> that the lecturer in question \u2018can expect to be invited to a meeting with the faculty board in the very short term\u2019. After this, the university\u2019s Executive Board will decide on possible disciplinary measures.<\/p>\n

Set an example<\/h2>

The university believes lecturers need to set an example. \u201cThe staff member\u2019s comment \u2013 even though it was made in his free time \u2013 is at odds with this role. We thoroughly deplore this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university announced today that it had suspended the lecturer from his regular activities. \u201cThe whole affair has had such an impact and raised so many questions that we don\u2019t want him to resume teaching before we have talked with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lecturer took down the post fairly quickly and has already apologised for it. He wrote the comment \u2018in the heat of the electoral battle\u2019, according to RTV Utrecht<\/a>. Nevertheless, he has received a number of angry responses and death threats. He has since deactivated his personal Facebook account.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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