Study association Sirius gives platform to pandemic denier

Jeroen Pols has filed 30 lawsuits against the Dutch government alongside other people affiliated with Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth, an organisation formerly called Viruswaanzin, which means Virus Madness, Ed.). The lawsuits aimed to challenge lockdown measures, face mask requirements and vaccination policies. During the lecture, Pols talked about legal aspects which, in his opinion, show that the measures to combat Covid-19 were wrongly justified with emergency legislation. "The average age of the people who died from Covid at the time was above the life expectancy of 81.5 years." According to Pols, this was not enough reason to restrict the freedom of every Dutch citizen. "And that is why freedom has been taken away from all of you," said Pols.

His views received the necessary criticism. The tension was palpable during his talk and Pols was laughed at several times. Many attendees left the room, while others confronted him in critical and emotional discussions, like when he declared that Long Covid was caused by vaccination damage. The atmosphere was far from a usual academic debate.

Just before the break, one of the Sirius members who organised the event reminded the students that an academic debate requires respectful interactions, even when there are differences of opinion. “You can laugh at me or laugh about me. But we invited Mr. Pols here to learn. He is defending his position because we invited him to. You can question those views, but not like this. And don't laugh at him either."

Broaden the curriculum
Sirius President Anne emphasises that the lecture was intended to expose students to different perspectives and thus stimulate a debate. "We organise such guest lectures to broaden the curriculum," says Anne. "Every year, we strive to invite guest lecturers representing different angles and perspectives. We want to offer our honours students the broadest possible range of speakers across the entire legal, political and/or social spectrum.”

After Pols posted the lecture online, many wondered to what extent a university should host this type of lecture. On X, user @Joey_Ventura_ argued about the limits of academic freedom, as well as the university's role in ensuring a safe and neutral learning environment.

According to a spokesperson for Utrecht University, study associations must have the freedom to invite guest lecturers for activities outside the regular curriculum. "UU firmly supports the preservation and protection of academic freedom. Inviting a speaker does not automatically mean that you endorse his or her ideas. It is valuable for law students, such as those from Sirius, to get in touch with divergent and even controversial views, and be able to critically question them."

When asked whether this could be detrimental to the academic consensus, the university responds: "An important characteristic of academic debate is that participants correct each other when unscientific positions are taken. The video shows Pols being questioned vigorously," says the spokesperson.

Restrictions only apply to events about Gaza
A few years ago, during the pandemic, such a guest lecture would have been unthinkable at a university. However, there were no rules imposing any restrictions at the time. Recently, UU announced restrictions for guest lectures related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. These measures, which include a limit on the number of attendees and mandatory pre-registration, are intended to prevent occupations. As a result, Dutch Scholars for Palestine decided to move a guest lecture by Neve Gordon to a place outside the university. The organisers did not agree with the restrictions.

Although Pols' lecture was politically charged, it was not restricted in any way because it was not about Gaza. The university responded: "The meeting with Jeroen Pols was registered with the university and was not about Israel and Gaza." The university indicated that the measures apply specifically to gatherings related to the Israel and Gaza conflict and that other gatherings, such as Pols', are not subject to the same rules.

What Sirius and Pols think
Sirius still believes it was a good choice to provide students with a different voice. "The debate about the pandemic is relevant to our students. Pols has conducted legal proceedings in this context, which is why we invited him in a critical light," says Anne.

However, she does regret Pols' defensive attitude towards the criticism of those present, as well as the way in which he dismissed other views. In addition, Pols shared a recording of the lecture, which did not respect the agreements made with the study association.

During the lecture, Pols indicated that he enjoyed speaking to groups with opposing views, as he is not usually invited to speak by such groups. According to him, this leads to valuable discussions. He encouraged the students to research on their own and emphasised that they should not trust the government blindly.