Syrian-Born Peace Activist Targeted by Anti-Israel Agitators in The Netherlands
Peace activist Rawan Osman was the target of an alleged coordinated effort to silence her ahead of university speaking engagements
Rawan Osman, a Syrian-born activist advocating for antisemitism awareness and Middle Eastern educational reform, was recently targeted by anti-Israel agitators attempting to silence her. Ahead of scheduled speaking engagements at three Dutch universities, Radboud University Assistant Professor Harry Pettit shared details of the event, calling it a "propaganda event" and writing, "I hope they get the welcome they deserve," essentially encouraging its disruption. Petit also shared a flyer for a protest targeting Osman’s event and urged his followers to: “Please join. Stand up against racist, genocidal propaganda at our universities.” This ultimately escalated into a violent mob attack despite police presence, with law enforcement merely advising her to file a report the following month. This incident highlights the growing trend of campus intimidation, where anti-Israel activism often escalates into harassment and suppression of dissenting voices.
The Rise of Campus Intimidation
A recent case at Maastricht University in the Netherlands further illustrates this troubling trend. The student group Free Palestine Maastricht (FPM) staged a disruptive demonstration within university buildings, chanting slogans through megaphones, including the controversial "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"—a phrase widely regarded as a call for the elimination of Israel.
University President Rianne Letschert acknowledged that while protests were expected, the decision of demonstrators to invade faculty buildings and disrupt learning spaces crossed a line. Jewish students and staff expressed feeling "intimidated and threatened," yet responses from the university administration have remained lukewarm, hesitant to enforce clear boundaries. The fact that some demonstrators were not even students at the university raises further concerns about external radicalization infiltrating academic spaces.
The Normalization of Radicalization
As Dutch columnist Amanda Kluveld has pointed out that, Free Palestine Maastricht have also been found commemorating “journalists” eliminated by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), whom were later identified as members of the EU-sanctioned terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Kluveld also discovered that Free Palestine Maastricht reshared an image from one of Hamas' propaganda ceremonies, further underscoring the deepening ties between university-based activism and extremist ideologies. One such image depicted a Hamas militant standing on a stage that portrayed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as responsible for the deaths of the Bibas family, a clear attempt to incite hatred and perpetuate propaganda narratives.
What happened to Osman is a warning sign. When free speech is selectively protected, when violence is tolerated based on the political affiliations of its perpetrators, and when institutions prioritize ideological appeasement over academic discourse, the very foundation of open inquiry is at risk.
I don't think the top picture is the Maastricht University at all. A very non-Dutch building. Where was the picture taken?