At the initiative of a uu77 student, a lecture with Rawan Osman was organised on Tuesday 11 March. The lecture was initially to be held at the Radboud university medical center, but the Radboud university medical center informed the organisers that they would not be able to facilitate the meeting. The University subsequently ran an assessment procedure and offered an alternative venue.
As with any event application, the condition set by the University was that the event must be balanced and visibly accommodate different views and perspectives. The student who reserved the space signed a contract in advance confirming this. In addition, the University took the following security measures:
• Security guards were present.
• Access to the event was only possible with a campus card or ID.
• The meeting took place in a building where there were no other meetings at the time.
• The police had been informed about the meeting in advance.
• Shortly before the meeting, it was decided to close the doors of the Spinoza building because a group of about 35 protesters turned out to be standing outside the building.
Various attendees disrupted the meeting in the room on five occasions. Things were said on both sides that negatively affected the atmosphere of the event and that do not befit the academic debate. The persons responsible for these disturbances were confronted by security guards and escorted out by the police.
When the speaker got into the car after the event, protesters lined up around the car, blocking the way and shouting insults. The police and security guards who were at the scene ensured that the car was eventually able to leave the campus.
Report
The University did not as yet detect any punishable offences. If anyone has been the victim of or witness to a punishable offence, the University advises them to report it. University security guards can provide support in this context. In addition, the persons responsible for disrupting the order have been invited by the deans and the Executive Board for a critical interview.
Groups of students and staff have recently repeatedly come into conflict with each other around the situation in the Middle East. Whereas one group wants to invite a speaker for an informative event, the other group feels that the speaker in question does not belong on campus because of their ideas. However, the strength of a university is precisely that it provides a space where critical conversations are possible and where students and staff are open to each other's arguments. uu77 stands for diversity of insights, perspectives and opinions that can be shared and also criticised. The University stands for a multitude of voices, even, or especially, when there is no harmony. But always with respect for each other and the world we live in.
When certain speakers are announced, as was recently the case with Rawan Osman, but also last year with Mohammed Khatib (when he was still allowed to enter the Netherlands), emotions run high, accusations are hurled back and forth, and groups express concern about their safety. The University's focus in this context is, on the one hand, on what is needed to best facilitate order and safety during such meetings and, on the other hand, on how far the University should go in facilitating these meetings (e.g. deployment of security guards) and to what extent this facilitation is actually successful.
The Executive Board plans to shortly invite selected students and staff from both groups to discuss these matters with the Executive Board and with each other. It is part of our University's culture to be curious and critical and to engage in academic debate with each other on the basis of arguments. The University wishes to continue to support this, but only if it can be done in a way that is safe for all concerned.
