I was told Radboud was the best
a safe haven, most leftist
somewhere to be welcomed
to be yourself
a place of diverse discussions, of cultural exchange
a place that valued human life
.
How bad must it be at other universities
I guess, a lot can change in just a few years
.
On my way out of Germany
I stumbled over stones marking the loss
of kind people, innocent people
I stood where people like me were executed, murdered, enslaved
I walked on train platforms where
mothers waved goodbye to their young children
You could hear the breaking of our hearts
like crystals, knowing it would be the last
I didn’t even get that chance
.
I bear the weight of our history every day
I thought the Dutch would remember better
How can you walk straight?
.
Don’t you see?
History is starting to repeat itself
To escape the rising hate and Nazi propaganda
Radboud is where I found myself
.
I pronounced Nijmegen my home away from home
Holland, exil destination number one
Oh how naive I must have been.
Cannot recommend!
.
How is this the same university,
that rather closed down than bow to the Nazis
The university run by people who saw Dachau from the inside
Sacrificed their lives
To preserve our freedom to research, teach
and indulge in free speech.
.
One can only imagine what Titus would have to say.
You celebrate their actions
taking credit for bravery
you clearly do not possess or understand
.
Is this what you want to be remembered for?
.
Do we need to show you the shoes?
Gravestones, photos, Anne Frank’s Diary!
Do we need to remind you
of the anguish and destruction
Nazis have always and will always cause?
.
6 million people and counting
.
I trusted you were good people.
They say, evil can only triumph if good men do nothing
Well, you proved them right.
.
#inclusion is too little too late
for the size of the threat
The times too dire for students and staff
to leave things unsaid
.
Actions speak – you relativize
Because of people like you
the Third Reich could thrive
.
I used to be proud to be a part of this institution
Excited for the work being done here
A RICH future in the making
But if this is the future you are building
I don’t understand whose validation you are craving
.
Have you ever had to think twice before signing your name?
Have Nazis ever decided your fate without your say?
.
Have you ever had hate pushed through your mail slot?
Storming the beaches of the Waal
Invading your living room, kitchen, favorite lunch spot?
.
Were you ever forced to pack up your belongings in the dead of night?
Were you ever forced to sacrifice time with your loved ones?
All just to escape their guns
.
Well, I have.
.
Has death knocked on your door?
No? Didn’t think so!
.
Then how dare you!
Hide behind “tolerance”
when you discriminate against disabled people
Every day denying our existence
But that’s the price you pay for running a Dutch University
Peer pressure never really goes away, does it?
.
Do not lecture me on diversity and inclusion
there’s not nearly enough support to go around
Do not hide behind arguments of free speech
Since that won’t last very long
.
How dare you condone their existence!
How dare you welcome them into our sanctum sanctorum!
You clearly do not understand what you are risking
How dare you condemn our existence!
.
My death.
My family = dead.
my friends = dead.
.
Just because they aren’t German, don’t look Aryan.
Don’t know the words to the third verse of my national anthem
They sound like you, look like you,
drink coffee across the table from you.
.
Because they haven’t revealed their true intentions
Haven’t drawn Swastikas on the Erasmus tower
You have no objections.
.
From your high horses
You can overlook the warning signs.
How can the most intelligent be so ignorant?
Take responsibility for your decisions
The threat is imminent!
.
Fighting Nazis isn’t even left or radical
It’s common sense, normal, ethical.
.
If this is where we are
What is there to celebrate?
Definitely not 100 years of progress
we’re back where we started
1938
.
This poem is responding to the Radboud Reflects event from the 7th of September 2023 focusing on the question: Alle meningen welkom op de universiteit? Are all opinions welcome at university? The cause of the debate is documented and discussed in the following articles by Vox Magazine from Radboud University:
https://www.voxweb.nl/english/should-gnsv-have-been-allowed-at-the-intro-market
Raffia 