A lecturer at the University of Copenhagen has defended his display of the slogan “Death to the IDF” during a law faculty lecture, sparking a wider debate over anti-Israel rhetoric, freedom of expression, and rising concerns about antisemitism on European university campuses, reports Jewish News Syndicate.
Lino Vogt, an external lecturer at the University of Copenhagen, displayed the slogan on a slide before a seminar. The image reportedly showed the cartoon character Betty Boop holding a firebomb and wearing a keffiyeh over her face. According to Vogt, the slide was intended as a humorous placeholder before the lecture began and was meant as a form of political criticism rather than a direct call for violence.
The University of Copenhagen condemned the use of the slogan as unacceptable, a position supported by Israel’s embassy in Copenhagen and other critics.
Responding to criticism, Vogt said he disagreed with the university’s reaction but would respect any decisions it made regarding the incident. He declined to discuss his conversations with university officials about whether disciplinary action would follow.
Vogt rejected accusations that the slogan promoted terrorism. However, he argued that it was legitimate to question whether Israeli soldiers involved in what he described as illegal military actions against civilians should face violent resistance. He referred to Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza as a genocide, a description that remains the subject of significant legal and scholarly debate and is rejected by numerous experts and institutions, including those associated with the Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Vogt also denied that his actions were antisemitic, describing himself as a long-standing anti-racism activist. He argued that criticism of the Israeli military should not automatically be understood as hostility towards Jews.
The slogan “Death to the IDF” gained international attention after being used by the British musical duo Bob Vylan during a major music festival in the United Kingdom, where the phrase was chanted by thousands of audience members during a live broadcast. The performance generated widespread criticism, with Jewish organisations arguing that the slogan promoted violent hostility towards Israelis and contributed to a climate of intimidation.
The Copenhagen incident became public after an image of the slide was provided to Danish parliamentarian Christian Holst Vigilius, who shared it publicly. He welcomed the university’s response but expressed additional concern over reports that some law students had defended the lecturer’s actions.
The controversy comes amid wider concern about antisemitism in European higher education. Israel’s Mission to the European Union and NATO recently identified universities as a particular area requiring attention, warning that many Jewish students are experiencing harassment, intimidation, and hostility on campus.
A 2025 study conducted by the European Union of Jewish Students, B’nai B’rith International, and the Democ academic watchdog found that Jewish students in nine European countries often experience a climate of fear and exclusion. The report documented cases of harassment, intimidation, physical assaults, and students hiding their Jewish identity or avoiding certain classes and university spaces due to safety concerns.
The incident in Denmark has therefore become part of a broader discussion about the boundaries between political protest and rhetoric that can contribute to hostility and fear towards Jewish students and communities.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Christian Holst Vigilius
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