No further criminal inquiry into suspended Maastricht student, ANP reports

Maastricht University has provisionally suspended a student from Gaza after a video he posted online prompted controversy. He cannot attend classes during the suspension, which has no set end date, a university spokesperson told De Nieuwe Ster. [1] [2]

ANP reported that the student appeared to point at a television showing Palestinian fighters in combat uniforms and say, “Seventh of October. This is me.” The news agency said he had since removed the post. The words appear to refer to 7 October 2023, when Hamas attacked places in Israel, killing about 1,200 people. [1] De Nieuwe Ster characterised the video as a claim of involvement in those attacks; ANP described what the student appeared to say more cautiously. [3] [1]

The university said the post, reactions to it and subsequent social-media messages meant it could not rule out concern and unrest among students and staff. A spokesperson cited the university’s responsibility to keep teaching safe and free from threats or disruption. [1] [2]

The university said it would assess the student’s future studies during the suspension. It also said it could not investigate the video itself. [1]

Update

Dutch police and prosecutors see no grounds for further criminal investigation of a Maastricht University student suspended after a video in which he appeared to identify himself as one of the masked men shown in footage of the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, ANP reports. Their assessment found no criminal offences, the news agency said. [4]

The student's remark in the video prompted questions about whether he had taken part in the attack, but what he meant by it remains unclear. Maastricht University provisionally barred him from classes while it considered whether, and under what conditions, he could continue studying. The university described the suspension as a safety measure, not a punishment.