Controversies
Between 2023 and 2025, Pettit became involved in major controversies due to his outspoken pro-Palestinian positions on social media, particularly following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. He was accused of antisemitism, glorification of violence, and incitement after referring to the attack as a “legitimate act of resistance” and “brilliant in some aspects.” [2] [3] Pettit also called for “finishing what the Palestinians began on October 7,” advocated for “the eradication of Israel,” and publicly expressed support for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom he described as a “hero.” [4]
In October 2024, Pettit invited Mohammed Khatib, the European coordinator of Samidoun, a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel [5] advocacy group based in Canada, to give a lecture at Radboud University. Khatib, who had described Hamas as a resistance movement and expressed pride in the 2023 Hamas terror attack, was ultimately denied entry to the Netherlands by the Dutch government. [6]
On 11 March 2025, Pettit reportedly led a group of protesters attempting to disrupt a lecture at Radboud University by Syrian activist Rawan Osman, who campaigns for the normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel. [6]
On 20 June 2025, Dutch MP questions were submitted to then-Minister of Education Eppo Bruins concerning Pettit's remarks comparing Zionism to Nazism. The minister condemned the comments as abhorrent but stated that it was up to Radboud University, as Pettit's employer, to determine whether disciplinary action was appropriate. [7]
In October 2025, a petition calling on Radboud University to take action against Pettit received more than 12,000 signatures within a few days. [3] Around the same time, 113 (former) students, professors, lecturers, and staff members of the university urged the institution to act, while Minister of Education Gouke Moes advised the university in an interview with journalist Sven Kockelmann to file a formal complaint against Pettit. [4] Pettit in turn filed a complaint against Moes, stating that he “would not accept political repression in the service of Zionism.” [2]
On 10 November 2025, Pettit announced on social media that he had reached an agreement with Radboud University and claimed to have secured a new position elsewhere. The university confirmed his departure, stating that, after “an intensive process lasting several months,” both parties had “agreed to part ways” and that Pettit had made “statements inconsistent with the university's code of conduct.” [4]
