Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek had had a turbulent year. At his University of Amsterdam (UvA), pro-Palestinian demonstrators had left a trail of destruction. He himself had been advised not to go to meetings without security guards. When he went out, Verbeek put on a cap just to be on the safe side.
Still, he said in 2025 de Volkskrantall the tensions had also brought out insights in him – about the limits of protest and safeguarding academic freedom. That it is “allowed to chafe” at a university as long as there is “no intimidation and everyone feels the freedom to disagree.”
The protests, Verbeek said, had also been meaningful for that reason. “Something was at stake.”
This Friday, Verbeek announced his departure as rector magnificus of the UvA. He becomes president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). As ambassador, he has the task of “strengthening science, especially at a time when it is under pressure”, as can be read in an declaration.
Verbeek, who calls his switch a “long-cherished” wish, hopes to focus primarily outward: to better explain “what science means for society.” Because although science still scores excellent marks among Dutch people, he sees that what happens in the United States is also possible here.
Eye of the storm
Verbeek, born in Middelburg in 1970, studied technical physics and philosophy at the University of Twente, where he later also taught as a professor. He is internationally known for his theory of technological mediation, about the interaction between technology, people and society.
As rector of the UvA, a position he held for more than three years, he found himself in the eye of the storm. Pro-Palestinian protesters demanded that the university cut its ties with Israeli institutions. Verbeek came under personal fire after he started talking to masked demonstrators.
Ultimately, stricter guidelines for international collaborations were introduced, but the board did not want a total boycott.
Research agency Berenschot later concluded that the university administration had “no effective de-escalation” strategy. The derailment of the protests probably could not have been prevented, the consultancy concluded, but the board had not shown sufficient listening ear.
Outlaw
In interviews, Verbeek placed the increasing tensions at universities due to the Gaza war in a broader context in which the freedom of science is being tested. The pressure on science comes not only from within, but also from outside, the KNAW also warned last year.
In the United States, President Trump suspended university funding for political reasons. Closer to home, young women and young researchers in particular experience hatred, threats and intimidation.
Verbeek will consider himself fortunate that a new wind is blowing through The Hague with the proposed Jetten cabinet. The term ‘science’ is used sixteen times in the coalition agreement presented on Friday, four times as often as in the main outline agreement of the previous cabinet. The major cuts in science and education are being reversed.
But that does not end the concerns. “Our academic freedom is not sufficiently protected by law,” Verbeek warned in de Volkskrant. “In fact, as a scientist in the Netherlands you are outlawed.”
“If you are not careful, a scenario such as in Hungary or America looms, where the government is increasingly interfering with the content of scientific research and education and with the management of universities. That would mean the end of science. Only if science is independent is it reliable.”
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