Conquering the bastion of freedom took small steps
image: Monique Shaw
Leiden University has not always been known for being a bastion of freedom, claims Egbert Koops in his Dies Natalis lecture. Regional newspaper ‘Leidsch Dagblad’ discussed academic freedom with the Professor of Legal History. ‘The bastion of freedom had to be conquered.’
The professor did not have to think long about the topic of his lecture during the Dies Natalis celebration in the Pieterskerk on 7 February. The central theme had to be academic freedom. Since the start of the war in Gaza, universities across the Netherlands have struggled to deal with this issue and Leiden is no exception. Koops delved into the history of the university. He concludes that when the university was founded in 1575, there was no such thing as Libertatis Praesidium (the university’s motto), the ‘bastion of freedom’: ‘It had to be conquered. And that was done in small steps.'
Nevertheless, Professor Koops has no institutional answer as to how universities in general should deal with issues like the war in Gaza. His personal advice: ‘As a professor, I don't talk about things I know nothing about. I have an opinion on Gaza, but that's got nothing to do with my position as a professor. I think all sorts of things about the government's policy, the cuts, but what's that got to do with my academic work? We should call each other to account more often if someone expresses an opinion that goes beyond the boundaries of their discipline, without presenting knowledge of the facts.'