Utrecht University of Applied Sciences causes uproar by postponing lectures about the Holocaust

HU's training programmes for school teachers were organising the lectures alongside the Centre for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI). The lectures were supposed to be held in February and March but have now been put off until a later date.

Last week, the action group New Neighbours Utrecht heavily criticised the lectures because of CIDI’s involvement. “CIDI is clawing its way into the education sector”, the activists find. 

CIDI starkly supports Israel and the bombing of Gaza. The institution blames Hamas, which attacked Israel on  October 7, for the war. It defends Israel's settlement policy.

“Total nonsense”
Does that have anything to do with educational activities about the holocaust and the danger of antisemitism? CIDI says it’s “total nonsense” that the lectures are being postponed. “Unworthy of academia and utterly cowardly! Yet another example of harassment and threats paying off.”

HU states that it needs more time to “organise a diverse and balanced dialogue about these topics, given the current dynamics”. The institution also claims to be taking "safety reasons" into account. 

Several politicians condemn the decision. Dilan Yeşilgöz, leader of the VVD party, writes on X that the assassination of six million Jews does not have anything to do with a "diverse and balanced" dialogue. “Whoever wants to nuance that needs a History lesson themselves. What a disgrace.”

Caroline van der Plas (BBB) wants to ask the cabinet questions about HU's decision. Meanwhile, Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) wonders whether the university of applied sciences has lost its moral compass.

 Dijkgraaf
The Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, who is in the role in a caretaker capacity, also weighed in on the issue. He called on universities to keep devoting attention to the horrors of the Holocaust, “even when it is difficult”. The topic still matters after all. “That is not subject to debate and is completely separate from the tensions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.”

The university of applied sciences believes the criticism isn’t justified. They counter that the lectures will take place, “only later". Moreover, HU states that its decision was not guided by the pressure exerted by interest groups and activists. “We emphatically reject the suggestion that we're connecting educational activities about the Holocaust to current tensions,” declares the President of HU's Executive Board, Wilma Scholte op Reimer.

“100 percent in favour of education”
In a response, the activists of New Neighbours Utrecht state that they are in favour of human rights and equality, as well as “100 percent in favour of education about the Holocaust and antisemitism”. They emphasise that the only thing they criticise is the university's collaboration with CIDI.