Government advisor warns of rising antisemitism at Dutch universities

Jewish employees at various universities in the Netherlands are increasingly worried about the safety of Jewish students and teachers in higher education. The National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism (NCAB) reported this on Thursday after meetings with researchers and teachers in preparation for the new academic year.

Employees said during the talks that Jewish students and teachers find the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities intimidating. "We see that anti-Semitic expressions at our universities unfortunately accompany the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said NCAB Eddo Verdoner.

He added that it is "unacceptable" that Jewish students and teachers don't feel safe. "You are allowed to demonstrate, but we cannot close our eyes to antisemitism that is disguised as criticism of Israel."

Verdoner emphasized that the conflict in Gaza is not over yet and that it is, therefore, essential to be "well prepared before the start of a new academic year to ensure a safe climate" for Jewish students and lecturers.