UHasselt Students Protest Dewinter’s Lecture and Honor WWII Resistance Fighters

Hasselt (Eurotoday Newspaper): Students at UHasselt held a protest at the Old Prison to remember WWII resistance fighters. They were against a lecture by Dewinter, which rector Bernard Vanheusden allowed. Faculty member Patricia Zanoni and local official Habib El Ouakili said the lecture spread division and should not happen at the university.

A few years ago, UHasselt started using the Old Prison buildings. Dewinter was supposed to give a lecture there, but it was moved to the campus in Diepenbeek after a double booking and a student protest. Last night, students protested at the Old Prison to remember the resistance fighters who were captured and killed there during World War II. They laid a wreath at a memorial plaque, observed a minute of silence, and played the Last Post.

Will Dewinter’s lecture at UHasselt cause further controversy?

According to Lessens, having the lecture in Diepenbeek could lead to more problems, which they wanted to avoid. Protesters, including students and teachers, hoped rector Bernard Vanheusden would cancel it after sending an open letter, but that didn’t happen. Vanheusden explained that student groups can rent university spaces with police permission, and they won’t stop lectures. Activists were upset that Dewinter was allowed to talk about his controversial ‘population replacement theory,’ which they say has no proof. Lessens criticized the lecture and Dewinter’s book “Omvolking” for spreading hate and racism, saying the theory is not scientific and has caused violence before, so it shouldn’t be allowed at the university.

Patricia Zanoni, a professor at UHasselt, mentioned that some ideas connected to a violent past don’t belong at a university. She believes that UHasselt should encourage inclusion and not host such lectures. Local alderman Habib El Ouakili agreed, saying that no place, especially a university, should create division among people. He added that they wanted to share this message peacefully to avoid spreading hate or fear.