A Dutch version of this post has been published on doorbraak.eu.

On 4 November 2025, Science Guide reported on the decision by the rector of University Utrecht, Wilco Hazeleger, to allow the founder of the FvD - Thierry Baudet - to speak at a debate night at the university.

This is simultaneously shocking, and completely unsurprising. It is shocking because the academic community has apparently still - after everything that is happening in the world - not built up the necessary immune response to keep out the fascist virus. It is unsurprising because this moral failure of university management has been with us for many years.

“To guarantee that your opponents recognize your right to exist, you have to recognize your opponents’ right to exist”: this can maybe be called “the liberal deal”. And as long as all parties abide by it, there is much to be said for it.

But when the deal is broken, it needs to be recognized that it is broken. And anyone following the news should be able to see that this deal is quickly breaking down across the world.

The United States should serve as a bone-chilling example, where a large part of society has decided that it is not going to allow its opponents to exist: that they need to be fired, silenced, deported and killed.

The fact that so many of our leaders - in the face of this fascist revival - still fail to recognize that the deal has broken down, is maybe because the deal has not yet broken down for them. After all, at this point, the “only” groups that are not allowed to (politically) exist are, trans, queer, black and Muslim.

Maybe they believe that these groups’ right to exist can be (temporarily) sacrificed (i.e. “discussed” in a debate night) for the greater good of preserving the liberal deal for the rest.

But they are mistaken. They themselves are on the list as well. Just bit further down the line.

“I disagree with what you say, but I will fight to defend your right to say it”, people like Wilco Hazeleger say.

“I disagree with what you say, and I will get you fired and deported, lol” respond Baudet and his voters.