Overview
- American-Lebanese preacher Mohamed Baajour has called off a European and UK tour and will not speak at Utrecht’s Islamitisch Cultureel Centrum Leidsche Rijn on 20 January.
- Baajour said he no longer feels safe traveling to Europe and referenced what he called false and damaging information about him, adding that he will take steps to protect his reputation.
- Demissionair minister David van Weel told Parliament the cabinet does not give space to people who come only to sow hate and had asked IND and NCTV to assess whether refusal of entry was legally defensible.
- Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma had been in contact with IND and NCTV about the planned visit, as political party JA21 pressed the government to block Baajour over alleged anti-Jewish and pro-Hamas statements.
- Recent cases have tested the legal bar for excluding speakers, with a court finding earlier refusals by ministers insufficiently substantiated, while three preachers spoke in Utrecht last year and Australian speaker Mohamed Hoblos was denied entry in 2024.