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Letschert in a tight spot! The Jewish and Israeli students in Maastricht are stating it clearly. They are no longer carried away by the dialogue merry-go-round of the D66 Minister of Education, after spending years in her merry-go-round when she led the university. Result: an antisemitic climate and the import of hate rallies. Letschert's reward: the plush of The Hague. Read the letter below. Support these brave students who let their voice, and only their voice, be heard. Who do not bow to the established order and do not allow themselves to be exploited and misled by them. Bravo! To the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, IJAR Maastricht has learned that Minister of Education Rianne Letschert intends to organize a meeting about Jewish students, following the recent developments at Maastricht University. As the representative organization of Jewish and Israeli students at Maastricht University, we have received no formal invitation from the minister or her ministry. Nor have we been informed about the purpose, the mandate, the intended participants, or the measures that may be considered. If the subject concerns the position and experiences of Jewish and Israeli students at Maastricht University, consultations should begin with the organization that represents these students and within the university environment where the relevant events take place. During Ms. Letschert's previous term at Maastricht University, Jewish and Israeli students and their representatives spoke with her and other members of the university administration on numerous occasions. They repeatedly expressed concerns about safety, intimidation, the campus climate, institutional decisions, and the implications of those decisions for Jewish and Israeli students. From those discussions, it appeared that consultations were taking place, but in our experience, they did not lead to measures that corresponded to the issues raised. Clear lines of accountability were also not established for what followed. This history means that the mere fact that there is again a meeting cannot be considered an achievement in itself. Other Jewish organizations and individuals elsewhere in the Netherlands may have legitimate perspectives on broader issues concerning Jewish life, antisemitism, or national policy. However, they do not represent the Jewish and Israeli students at Maastricht University and cannot replace the representative organization of the students whose campus, lecture halls, and daily living environment are directly at stake. A meeting held elsewhere, with discussion partners who do not represent these students, can be viewed as discussions with Jewish organizations, but cannot reasonably be presented as a consultation with the representative organization of Jewish and Israeli students studying at Maastricht University. For that reason, we believe that if the minister wishes to address what is happening at Maastricht University, she should come to Maastricht and engage directly in conversation with the representative organization of Jewish and Israeli students here. The location is important, as responsibility must be aligned with where the issue occurs and not be disconnected from it: the issues being discussed involve this university, the decisions being made here, and the students who experience the consequences of those decisions. Thus, consultations regarding Maastricht should take place in Maastricht and begin with those who are institutionally responsible for representing the involved students. Before such a meeting takes place, we also demand clarity about what the minister aims to achieve with it. We expect to know what questions are being investigated, what decisions or measures remain open, what responsibility the ministry will take on itself, what responsibility it expects from Maastricht University, what concrete follow-up steps are foreseen, and how the outcomes of the meeting will be recorded and communicated. Without that information, participation threatens to serve mainly as proof that consultations have taken place, rather than as a means by which those consultations can actually have an impact. Our concern, therefore, is not about whether there will be a meeting, but about the relationship between consultation and responsibility. We have previously participated in discussions, we have laid out the problems before, and our presence has previously shown that a dialogue existed. What too often has remained unclear, however, is who was responsible for acting on what was raised during those discussions and what actually changed as a result of those discussions. A representative consultation should not end once the participants leave the room, but should record who is responsible for the issues raised, what actions follow from that, and how those actions will be assessed. We remain willing to engage seriously with the minister in Maastricht. However, that consultation must take place with the representative organization of the Jewish and Israeli students whose situation is at stake, with a clear purpose, with well-defined responsibilities, and with an explicit connection between listening and acting. Anything less than that threatens only to reproduce the form of consultation, while the substance — and the responsibility for it — remains unresolved. Signed, The Board of IJAR Maastricht *link to the original letter in the tweet below (translated)

There is an "incident" at a youth camp on the island of Utøya, where "irregularities" have reportedly broken out among different young people. The camp has been canceled for the time being. Some extremist individuals spoke very early and very prematurely and very irresponsibly about. (translated)

In September 2026, unemployment in Austria rose to about 381,200 people, which represents an increase of 1.6 percent compared to the previous year, while long-term unemployment increased by 11 percent to over 104,000 affected individuals, now accounting for 34 percent of the unemployed. (translated)

„Zunächst einmal sind die zitierten Äußerungen natürlich äußerst schwerwiegend und inakzeptabel, und sie dulden keinerlei Kommentar“Die politischen Verantwortlichen müssten klarstellen, welche politische Linie sie vertreten, welche Äußerungen sie für akzeptabel halten und welche Personen in ihrer Partei solche Äußerungen tätigen könnten, sagte Macron. #Antisemitismus #Bardella #RassemblementNational

Former Federal Constitutional Court judge Gertrude Lübbe-Wolff believes it makes sense to also elect candidates proposed by the AfD to the Federal Constitutional Court. In an interview with "Legal Tribune Online," she points out that such judges are already active in several state constitutional courts. She warns that a comprehensive exclusion could deter suitable candidates and strengthen radical forces within the AfD. In her view, a potential blockage of the court's work would be a breach of duty that could be sanctioned. She expresses significant reservations about an AfD ban and criticizes the reliability of the expert opinions she is familiar with. Instead, she advocates for first examining the potential revocation of fundamental rights for particularly radical individuals. (translated)

The Federal Public Prosecutor today had two people arrested. The Kuwaiti-born Nuri A. was arrested in the Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse. He is said to have been a member of ISIS since 2016 and was also active as a fighter until spring 2017. The Syrian Ibrahim A. was arrested in Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate. He is accused of having joined a militia as a commander in Syria in 2012. In 2015, he is said to have taken three alleged regime supporters prisoner. The prisoners were forced to confess to attacks on Ibrahim A. and other members of the militia. Ibrahim A. is then said to have shot the three prisoners in the head at close range. I inquired with the Federal Prosecutor's Office since when the two terrorists have been in Germany, whether they applied for asylum upon or after entry, what residence status they possess, and whether they are known to the police or have a criminal record in Germany. I will report back once I receive a response. (translated)

The city of Vienna was the target of a cyber attack in which about 26,000 internal documents were copied and data from around 6,000 individuals, including sensitive information, was stolen, although the perpetrators did not gain control over the IT systems or publish the data. (translated)

After Assad's fall, the euphoria among the exiled Syrians was great: Finally, the war is over! In fact, almost 2 million Syrians have already returned to their homeland - primarily from the surrounding Muslim countries. So far, not even eleven thousand (!) people from Europe have returned to their homeland. In Germany alone, around 1.3 million Syrians still live who have not yet returned home. (translated)

The city of Vienna was the victim of a cyber attack, during which hackers copied about 26,000 internal documents and data from nearly 6,000 individuals, while the security breach has since been closed and there is currently no indication of publication or extortion of the stolen information. (translated)

Am 7. September kam es zwischen 20 Uhr und 21.15 Uhr in der Innenstadt von Augsburg zu einer Vergewaltigung. Das Opfer ist ein 15-jähriges Mädchen. Man fand die 15-Jährige im Bleigässchen in hilfloser Lage auf, anschließend wurde sie ärztlich versorgt. So vermeldete die Polizei am 10. September und fragte, wer das Mädchen vor 21.15 Uhr möglicherweise in Begleitung anderer Personen gesehen hat. Relevant seien andere Personen zwischen 15 und 20 Jahren, die gegebenenfalls vereinzelt unter Alkohol- und Drogeneinfluss gestanden haben. Am vergangenen Freitag wurde dann mitgeteilt, dass man aufgrund intensiver Ermittlungen und Zeugenbefragungen einen Tatverdächtigen festnehmen konnte. Bei ihm handle es sich um einen 16-Jährigen. Wegen des dringenden Tatverdachts wurde Haftbefehl wegen des Tatvorwurfs der Vergewaltigung erlassen und in Vollzug gesetzt. Ich hatte gestern um 9.50 Uhr nachgefragt und wollte wissen, ob sich das Opfer und der Tatverdächtige zuvor gekannt hatten, ob der Tatverdächtige bereits polizeibekannt war und ob er unter Alkohol- und / oder Drogeneinfluss stand. Außerdem fragte ich welche Staatsangehörigkeit Tatverdächtiger und Opfer besitzen. Die Antwort erreichte mich dann vor einer Stunde. Man könne mit Verweis auf das laufende Ermittlungsverfahren keine weiteren Auskünfte geben.🙄 #Augsburg #Vergewaltigung #Strafrecht