Portuguese law enforcement authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the University of Coimbra following claims that institutional leadership ignored severe antisemitic harassment and safety threats directed at an Israeli doctoral student. The legal action follows a formal review by the national ombudsman and direct appeals to the Prime Minister of Portugal, raising significant concerns regarding student safety and administrative accountability within European higher education institutions.
The student, Bar Harel, was pursuing a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering when he became the target of persistent hostility following the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. Across the campus, individuals posted hostile materials, including stickers bearing statements such as, "The chosen people love to kill children."
When Harel initially submitted formal complaints regarding the hostile environment, administrative officials dismissed his concerns. "When I submitted the complaint to the university, they initially told me that the stickers and all the messages I saw were completely fine," Harel stated in an interview.
University administrators continually maintained that there was no concrete proof of the harassment occurring on campus grounds. Harel refuted these claims directly, noting that he personally gathered hundreds of physical items as evidence. "So how is it sitting in my house? I have hundreds of them," he explained.
The hostility intensified significantly after Harel published a detailed research paper titled, "Stickers of Hate: Analysis of Antisemitism at the University of Coimbra," which documented widespread hate speech and material supporting terrorism. Personal posters featuring his name were placed across the campus, while online platforms were flooded with explicit death threats and abusive messages.
As safety risks escalated, university officials advised Harel to avoid entering his faculty department entirely. "At some point, they told me not to approach the faculty at all for my personal safety," Harel noted, describing the administration's advice as completely absurd.
Following guidance from the Israeli Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Harel remained isolated inside his dormitory before making the decision to leave the country entirely. To evade recognition while traveling to the airport, he was forced to alter his physical appearance. "I walked around a bit with a wig and glasses, a bit like a Hollywood movie, until I escaped from there," Harel recalled.
Throughout the ordeal, Harel received assistance from two fellow students, a Portuguese classmate and a Palestinian student from Hebron, who helped ensure his basic safety.
The Portuguese State Ombudsman subsequently reviewed the case and determined that the university violated statutory regulations by failing to address the hostile environment. After the academic institution declined to adopt the ombudsman's corrective recommendations, formal complaints were escalated to the Prime Minister, leading directly to the current criminal investigation.
