The deteriorating situation surrounding antisemitism in Europe is raising serious questions about the European Union’s ability to protect Jewish communities and ensure the implementation of its commitments to
combating hatred. Against this backdrop, the departure of Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission’s coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, comes at a particularly sensitive moment.
At the same time, developments at European universities are highlighting the growing difficulties faced by Jewish students and academics. The recent controversy at Maastricht University in the Netherlands illustrates how political tensions surrounding the Middle East conflict can spill over into university life, raising concerns about the protection of academic freedom and the right of Jewish students to participate in campus activities without intimidation.
EU Antisemitism Strategy faces an uncertain future
Von Schnurbein has played a central role in developing and implementing the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021–2030). Her appointment in 2015 made her the Commission’s first coordinator dedicated to this portfolio, and her work helped establish a framework for cooperation between European institutions, national governments and Jewish communities.
Her departure leaves an important institutional question unanswered: who will take responsibility for ensuring that the strategy continues to be implemented effectively?
The names of possible successors remain speculative. Pascale Falek, a colleague familiar with the Commission’s work, could potentially be considered. Alternatively, the Commission could seek an independent expert with substantial experience in Jewish history, antisemitism and European affairs. Among the names that could be discussed in this context is Dr Oleg Kozerod, an academic and researcher specialising in Jewish history and contemporary European issues.
However, no appointment should be assumed until the European Commission makes an official announcement.
The timing of the transition is particularly significant. The EU strategy runs until 2030 and encompasses the protection of Jewish communities, Holocaust remembrance, education, the fight against antisemitism online and the promotion of Jewish life. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has continued to identify these areas as priorities for European cooperation.
The challenge is not simply to appoint a new coordinator, but to ensure that the institutional response to antisemitism remains consistent, effective and adequately supported.
Maastricht University: a Jewish students’ meeting cancelled
The controversy at Maastricht University provides a striking example of the tensions confronting European universities.
According to DutchNews, the university cancelled a meeting organised by a Jewish students’ organisation just an hour before it was due to begin, following protests outside the venue. The event was scheduled to feature social sciences professor Eli Sapir, whose lecture was titled “Three Years after October 7”. Organisers said that only 12 students were expected to attend.
The event had initially been relocated after pro-Palestinian groups called for demonstrations. The protest group Maastricht Students for Palestine described the meeting as “Zionist propaganda” and urged supporters to gather outside.
University authorities subsequently cancelled the event, stating that online appeals from both supporters and opponents of the meeting had created a situation in which the institution could not guarantee safety.
The decision prompted strong criticism from the Jewish students’ union IJAR and the campaign group StandWithUs Nederland.
Claudia van Zanten, director of StandWithUs Nederland, accused the university of rewarding intimidation by cancelling a small gathering of Jewish students. The organisation also described the incident as part of what it considers a systematic suppression of Jewish student life on campus.
The university, meanwhile, argued that both sides had contributed to the escalation by mobilising supporters to travel to Maastricht.
The controversy therefore raises a fundamental question: when a university cancels an event because of protests, is it protecting students, or allowing the threat of disruption to determine which academic discussions can take place?
Academic freedom and the meaning of October 7
Maastricht University is widely associated with an international and multicultural academic environment. Its decision to cancel the lecture has consequently attracted attention beyond the Netherlands.
The controversy is part of a broader pattern of student unrest and campus protests across Europe, including France, where demonstrations over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have created tensions within higher education institutions.
While the right to protest is an essential component of democratic society, it must be balanced against the rights of other students and academics to express their views, organise meetings and engage in scholarly discussion.
The events of October 7, 2023, remain a particularly sensitive subject. The Hamas attacks against Israel and the subsequent destruction and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have profoundly affected political discourse across Europe.
The Dutch government’s public responses to the October 7 attacks, as well as the statements made by King Willem-Alexander, form part of the broader national debate. Yet the Maastricht controversy suggests that some students are approaching the subject through their own political interpretations, potentially creating a divide between institutional positions and campus activism.
The question is not whether students should be permitted to criticise government policies or express solidarity with Palestinians. Such expression is protected within democratic societies. Rather, the issue is whether academic freedom can survive when a lecture addressing the experiences of Jewish communities becomes the target of organised opposition.
A university must provide space for disagreement. It should not be necessary for Jewish students to demonstrate that their academic activities are politically acceptable before they can take part in campus life.
A test for European universities and institutions
The Maastricht incident is particularly troubling because of the small scale of the planned gathering. A lecture intended for 12 students was cancelled after demonstrators appeared outside the venue. The university’s explanation focused on safety, but critics argue that the outcome risks creating a precedent in which protests can prevent Jewish students from meeting.
The consequences could extend beyond one university.
If Jewish students conclude that their activities can be cancelled whenever opposition emerges, universities risk undermining the trust of an already vulnerable community. At the same time, the EU’s strategy against antisemitism could lose credibility if its principles are not reflected in the daily experiences of students and academics.
The European Commission’s next appointment in the antisemitism portfolio will therefore carry considerable significance. The new coordinator will need to work not only with governments and Jewish organisations, but also with universities and student communities.
The objective should be clear: protecting Jewish life in Europe requires more than policy documents and official declarations. It requires ensuring that Jewish students can participate in academic life without fear, that political disagreements do not become intimidation, and that universities remain places where difficult subjects can be discussed openly.
Maastricht University now faces a difficult task: restoring confidence in its commitment to multiculturalism and academic freedom while ensuring that future disagreements do not result in the exclusion of Jewish students from university life.
The broader European question is whether institutions can translate their stated commitment to combating antisemitism into meaningful protection for Jewish communities at a time when that commitment is being tested.
