(Brussels, 13 February 2026) – The European Jewish Congress calls on the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Antwerp, and Ghent University to reconsider and not proceed with the decision to award a joint honorary doctorate to Francesca Albanese on 2 April 2026.
As expressed by numerous governments, including Germany, France, Austria, Czechia, and Italy, which have called for her resignation, and having been sanctioned by the United States government, Ms Albanese has a documented history of bias, engagement in antisemitic rhetoric, and glorification of terrorism. From the outset, her lack of impartiality towards Israel has been evident
Ms Albanese has repeatedly promoted antisemitic tropes and employed hateful language to attack Israel. Her statements have included comparisons of the Jewish state to the Nazis, conspiracies about Jewish power, and the denial or minimisation of violence against Israeli civilians. On 7 October 2023, when Hamas murdered over 1,200 civilians and kidnapped 250, including a baby, children, and Holocaust survivors, her response was to state that “Today’s violence must be put in context,” a remark that trivialised the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Her record further demonstrates engagement and partnerships with actors linked to violence, including Hamas and Iran, as well as a pattern of justifying or advocating violence against Israel. This history of Holocaust distortion, trivialisation, delegitimisation of Israel, and denial of civilian suffering reflects a bias wholly incompatible with the values of academic integrity, impartiality, and respect for human life.
To award an honorary doctorate to Ms Albanese, who just shared a panel with the leader of Hamas, would legitimise extremism and antisemitism, sending a profoundly troubling message to the academic community and the wider public. We urge these institutions to stand firmly against antisemitism, bias, and the glorification of terrorism, and to withdraw any plans to confer this honour.
