There is no doubt that the first few months of 2026 have been wild, not only globally but also nationally. With so much happening, it can be hard to keep track. That’s why we at LOF have put together a selection of articles worth reading, each one illustrating, in its own way, why the democratization of universities matters and what’s currently at stake.
VSP members arrested over assault on student
As many of you have read, two members of the Vrijmoedige Studentenpartij (VSP), including its founder, have been arrested following a violent assault on a student union board member at VU Amsterdam. The police investigation is still ongoing, and VU has declined to comment on possible measures.
We see this as a stark reminder that strong, democratic universities require a safe environment where intimidation, hate speech and violence are actively confronted and have no place.
Read the full article: https://advalvas.vu.nl/en/campus-culture/vsp-members-arrested-over-assault-on-student/
TU giving police protester’s names: political parties ask Mayor for explanation
At the TU Delft, rather shocking news was published this month. It was discovered by Delta, the local university journal, that TU Delft and the police have an agreement where the TU Delft sometimes secretly passes names of demonstrators to the police.
The discovery of this collaboration between the university and the police has resulted in responses from Amnesty International. Moreover, local parties in the municipal council have asked the mayor critial question about the situation.
UU Council wants insight into UNL agreements after Economics failure
The university council at Utrecht University has had enough. Time and again, decisions made at the national UNL level have been used to justify policy changes at the UU, often without any meaningful input from the council. Now they’re pushing back, demanding visibility into what exactly is being agreed upon behind closed doors and insisting that the executive board can no longer bypass them by pointing to UNL policy as a done deal.
landelijkoverlegfracties.nl 