Let students feel safe and keep Laurens Buijs

We

Students in the Netherlands

establish that:

• Laurens Buijs, lecturer at the UvA, is on the verge of being fired by the university for his critical positions about non-binary gender identity.

• Although we do not necessarily agree with Mr. Buijs’ positions, we strongly oppose the UvA’s reaction to this.

• For the development of students and to have multiple viewpoints on the same issues, it is imperative that all are able to speak freely.

and request

• UvA's decision to punish debatable opinions threatens academic freedom and undermines open debate. That, in itself, is unsafe. Universities are not only safe spaces, but also brave spaces. Diversity is also about viewpoint diversity.
• Keep the university a space where all are respected and all ideas can be openly debated. Keep Laurens Buijs!