Major European universities foster 'climate of fear' for Jewish students, report finds
A comprehensive study details the normalization of antisemitism, glorification of terror, and widespread Holocaust distortion across campuses in nine countries.
The report gathered insights from experts on the ground regarding the situation in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Its conclusion states that in those nine countries, there is "clear and repeated patterns of antisemitic or otherwise harmful behaviors."
These patterns include threats and physical violence against individual Jewish students or staff members. They also include calls for violence as an appropriate form of protest, solidarity with Hamas as well as with other terrorist movements and individuals, widespread distortion of the Holocaust and its use as a tool, calls for the destruction of Israel, and extensive vandalism, strikes, and targeted vandalism of Jewish buildings.
The authors note that there is a "normalization of antisemitic narratives at universities across national borders… anchored in almost all countries under the guise of anti-colonial, anti-imperialist or human rights narratives."
The Hamas attack on October 7 is referred to as "resistance" or "liberation," and convicted terrorists are celebrated as heroes (for example, Walid Daqqa, Georges Abdallah). This was the case, for example, in Spain, where Samidoun activists publicly thanked Hamas for its actions. In Germany, activists from the "Zora" feminist group, which is involved in the student protests, described the Hamas attack as an act of self-defense.
The report adds that it is not just the October 7 massacre that is being inverted, but also the Holocaust. "A clear common feature of the demonstrations is also the increased emergence of Holocaust distortion in the form of relativization and instrumentalization. This is expressed, for example, in the equation of Israel with Nazi Germany, as seen for instance in Spain and Sweden, or in France and Belgium, where swastikas have appeared at universities and in the dormitories of Jewish students."
The report adds that, similar to the US, universities in Europe have "often reacted hesitantly to the protests, sometimes with tacit approval or by invoking freedom of expression – in some cases, antisemitic actors were not sanctioned. The occupation of the Institute of Social Sciences in Berlin, which led to vandalism, shouts of "Intifada" and red Hamas triangles, was initially tolerated by Humboldt University Berlin President Julia von Blumenthal. Instead, an invitation to a dialogue was extended – a troubling sign towards all Jewish students."
In this atmosphere, the report states, "many Jewish students report that they hide their identity and avoid the campus for fear of violence. The psychological impact of the protests is very alarming, with fear and panic playing a major role in everyday student life. As a result, Jewish students are withdrawing more and more and are less a part of public university life."
Pro-Palestinian demonstration at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, May 5, 2024.
One of the most stunning findings in the report is the support from faculty members and the university establishment.
"In Italy, many professors and parts of the university administration have taken a very supportive stance, and the academic senates of multiple universities announced that they would no longer cooperate with Israel," the report read. "In doing so, they are responding to a frequently voiced demand in university protests to sever all university ties with Israel. In Spain, too, the protests have received explicit support from the university. Professors who are actively participating are often BDS activists themselves. In Austria and the UK, several lecturers have made explicitly antisemitic or terror-glorifying statements. This normalizes antisemitic narratives at an academic level and reinforces students' radical views."
The report also reveals coordination and involvement of organizations with documented ties to terrorism, such as Samidoun or Masar Badil, both known for their links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – the PFLP, a designated terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
"This report makes clear that Europe's universities are failing their Jewish students," B'nai B'rith International president Robert Spitzer and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin said. "Just as we have seen on campuses across the United States, antisemitism here is too often excused as 'activism' – but in reality, it is a threat to safety, inclusion and the very integrity of higher education."
A pro-Palestinian demonstration at the Institute of Political Studies in Lyon, France, on April 30, 2024.
B'nai B'rith International Director of EU Affairs Alina Bricman, said: "When Jewish students fear being violently harassed on campus, when in the most prestigious European universities Jewish students might find swastikas or death threats on their personal property, when they are not allowed access to spaces and events due to their presumed Zionism – the free speech argument is a canard. The lack of action on the part of academic institutions is shameful."
Democ co-executive director Grischa Stanjek said: "What we are seeing on individual campuses are not isolated incidents of student protest. The documentation gathered in this report makes it clear that we are dealing with highly coordinated, transnational networks that operate as part of a global movement. They strategically disguise an antisemitic agenda in the language of human rights to gain legitimacy. University leaders are making a grave mistake if they treat these events as local flare-ups instead of what they are: calculated manifestations of a global, anti-democratic campaign."
In her forward to the report, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life Katharina von Schnurbein noted that "European Jewish students have at times opted to hide their identity or in some cases abandon in-person learning altogether due to the environment of hatred that has surrounded them." She stressed that "decisive action, and where necessary prosecution, is needed to prevent further poisoning of the public space."
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