Experts point to a return of far-right ideology, neo-fascist tendencies, and their normalization in our society. Our VU campus is no exception. In response to an incident on the VU campus last November, theater maker Simcha Zijlstra and former Member of Parliament Daniëlle Hirsch recently wrote in Het Parool: "If we truly want to learn from history, we must acknowledge that the Holocaust, the murder of 6 million Jews, was the outcome of a horribly recognizable process that is still unfolding worldwide today. That process begins with normalizing it." Danielle and Simcha believe that intervention is necessary. This means, for example, that we should not commemorate the Holocaust as an unrepeatable and unique event, but as a man-made disaster that can happen again, in a new guise, with new victims, fueled by the same mechanisms of hatred, dehumanization, and apathy as in the 1930s and 1940s.
But what does this mean for the presence of far-right sympathies on our campus, and how does this fit into a broader picture of exclusion and the undermining of democracy and the rule of law? Is this fascism or not? And if so, why do we find it difficult to call it that? What can we, as the VU community, do within our broader society to collectively help halt this process?
Join the discussion with Simcha and Danielle in 3D on March 30th. During this meeting, we aim to create space for discussion about fear and perceived powerlessness on our campus and the university's perspectives for action in relation to society.
Simcha Zijlstra is a theater maker and activist.
Danielle Hirsch is an economist and former Member of Parliament for GroenLinks/PvdA.