Justice Minister Anton Beerman assured the Dutch Parliament today that there would be a full investigation of recent hazings at the Municipal University in Amsterdam, where Jewish students were called names and locked up in a cellar.
The Justice Minister gave the assurance, in which he also said that there would be prosecution if the facts warranted it, in reply to indignant questions about the incidents which have evoked sharp press criticism. The incidents included the performance of a play entitled “Dachau,” which recreated scenes of concentration camp life. After the play, first year Jewish and non-Jewish students were herded into a small cellar, where several students fainted.
Two students charged by university officials with anti-Semitism insisted they were acting only as “bullies to the newcomers.” The university’s Student Senate also denied there was any racial or religious discrimination involved in the hazing, but deplored the incidents. Professor Jank Kok, university vice-chancellor, said the university would take severe action if a judicial inquiry called for it.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
