The UT invited the outgoing Prime Minister to speak at the joint opening of the academic year with Saxion University of Applied Sciences in the Wilminktheater. The fact that this speaker was chosen is against the sore leg of action groups Twente for Protest, Enschede Students for Palestine, Enschede Student Movement and the 'Climate Crisis Coalition'.
Strong wording
In an open letter, addressed to the Executive Board of the UT, they express their objections to Schoof's visit. The action groups mention Schoof in the same breath as the cuts in Dutch higher education, the consequences of which are already being felt at the UT through reorganizations.
The action groups use strong words about Schoof and his outgoing cabinet, when it comes to 'far-right rhetoric and structural disinformation about climate, migration and social inequality'. Moreover, the activist groups condemn the role of Schoof and his government in the genocide in Gaza. To sum up: ‘Decommissionary president Dick Schoof has a terrible track record with regards to the values that the University Twente community stands for. He will almost certainly play no role in future government. Why invite a man of the past to an event for the future?’
No response yet
The activists have not yet received a response from the Executive Board of the UT, says Executive Board spokesperson Laurens van der Velde. That reaction will come when the board members return from their summer holidays.
In the meantime, the action groups are brooding on ways to express their dissatisfaction, should Schoof appear as a speaker during the OAY on September 1. For example, there are ideas to walk away or turn around when the speech of the outgoing Prime Minister starts. There are also ideas to hold an alternative lecture outside the Wilminktheater. Whether such ideas will fully come to fruition remains to be seen for the time being.
