Public statement in reaction to the petition 'UvA Support for Palestine, End Occupation'

NIOD is one of the rare institutions in Europe with a specific research programme in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Not only do we conduct academic research, but we also teach university courses, document mass violence, and organise public events on a wide range of topics and cases.

Recently, NIOD and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies master’s programme were mentioned in the petition 'UvA Support for Palestine, End Occupation' - see reporting on this in Het Parool. In response, we want to emphasise that studying the violence in Israel/Palestine, alongside many other instances of mass violence in the past and present world, is a politically, ethically, and emotionally challenging endeavour. Yet, for us, research integrity, critical thinking, academic freedom, and a diversity of perspectives will always constitute our main focus and mission. (see: our statement on academic freedom)