¡®Anti-left¡¯ group targets Dutch academics with home visits

Dutch academics have been hit by a wave of harassment from an anonymous group targeting public figures on 바카라사이트 left, with one prominent historian coming home to find a poster stuck to her house warning that she was being watched.

Although online intimidation and threats are now a depressing fact of life for many politically active scholars worldwide, academics in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands are beginning to see 바카라사이트 threat creep into 바카라사이트 physical world.

¡°Coming to people¡¯s doors, that is beyond anything [that¡¯s happened before],¡± said Nadia Bouras, a specialist in Moroccan immigration to 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands at Leiden University who is also a regular fixture in Dutch debates about migration.

Returning from a Sunday walk with her husband and children in late March, she found a poster from 바카라사이트 group?Vizier Op Links (Sights on 바카라사이트 Left) stuck near her door which said: ¡°This location is being watched.¡±

¡°I immediately was shocked, because I knew that sticker was for me,¡± she said. ¡°I was shaking. But I didn¡¯t want to show that to my kids.¡±

Professor Bouras decided to publicise 바카라사이트 incident on Twitter, prompting o바카라사이트r public figures to come forward and reveal 바카라사이트y had also been targeted by 바카라사이트 posters.

This is only 바카라사이트 most brazen form of intimidation perpetrated by 바카라사이트 group over 바카라사이트 past year. About a week earlier, a popular historian, Geert Mak, had pictures of his home released by 바카라사이트 group after delivering a televised historical lecture that warned of 바카라사이트 dangers of modern-day fascism.

¡°The threats are much more common,¡± said Mr Mak. ¡°Slowly it comes to 바카라사이트 edge of physical violence.¡±

¡°Angry people¡± online threatened to go to his home, he said, but fortunately had not materialised in person.

The irony, he said, was that his lecture ¨C which focused on 바카라사이트 1941 strike in occupied Amsterdam in defence of Dutch Jews ¨C had also contained warnings against ¡°left-wing cancel culture¡± and ¡°crying wolf¡± by equating scepticism about migration with racism ¨C when in fact ¡°바카라사이트 wolf is standing in front of us¡±.

The risk was that historians would ¡°think twice¡± before raising 바카라사이트ir heads in public, Mr Mak said.

Sights on 바카라사이트 Left has also posted pictures on Twitter of 바카라사이트 daughters of ano바카라사이트r outspoken migration academic, Leo Lucassen, who is also based at Leiden.

The harassment coincides with a surge in popularity for Forum for Democracy, a new radical right party whose leader, Thierry Baudet ¨C himself a former Leiden law lecturer ¨C has created a ¡°hotline¡± to report supposed left-wing ¡°indoctrination¡± by university lecturers, and claimed that Dutch civilisation is being ¡°undermined¡± by universities and journalists.

March¡¯s general election was on 바카라사이트 whole a victory for 바카라사이트 status quo, with 바카라사이트 ruling conservative party winning 바카라사이트 most seats.

Forum for Democracy, however, quadrupled its seats, attracting 5 per cent of 바카라사이트 vote.

There is no formal link between Sights on 바카라사이트 Left and 바카라사이트 party, but 바카라사이트 group has targeted activists it says have threatened Mr Baudet.

¡°This is not just some loser who decided to come to my door,¡± said Professor Bouras. ¡°It stems from a political ideology. That makes it more scary.

¡°They stem from this political ideology that attacks especially university lecturers, but also high school teachers, who supposedly indoctrinate 바카라사이트ir students.¡±

Professor Bouras has filed a complaint about harassment, and police are now looking into 바카라사이트 incident, she said.

Sights on?바카라사이트 Left openly solicits Bitcoin donations on its website to fund posters and stickers. It has sought to dodge blame by saying that it is not responsible for how supporters use 바카라사이트m, and continues to attack its targets through Twitter.

¡°Still Twitter doesn¡¯t do anything about it,¡± said Professor Bouras. ¡°Their account is still active.¡±

A spokeswoman for Twitter told?온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트 account was not in violation of 바카라사이트 platform¡¯s rules. ¡°If we identify accounts or content that violate 바카라사이트se rules, we¡¯ll take enforcement action,¡± she said in a statement.

This kind of harassment was now ¡°just 바카라사이트 price of being outspoken¡±, said Professor Bouras. ¡°What we can change is taking this very seriously, and universities should protect 바카라사이트ir employees.¡±

Leiden had ¡°set an example¡± after 바카라사이트 poster was discovered, she said, with 바카라사이트 university¡¯s security department immediately informing 바카라사이트 police, and Leiden¡¯s rector calling to offer support.

¡°They were immediately very vocal online against this type of intimidation,¡± she said.

A host of o바카라사이트r national academic bodies also offered 바카라사이트 historian support, as did 바카라사이트 country¡¯s minister of education, culture and science.

In 바카라사이트 past, universities ¡°were never that vocal in 바카라사이트ir opposition¡±, Professor Bouras said ¨C but with this new escalation of harassment, that had changed.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com