Dutch University Fails to Act Against Student Leader Accused of Three-Year Terror Campaign
Amsterdam, Sunday, 8 February 2026.
Marlon U., leader of the conservative VSP student party at Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit, allegedly terrorized campus for three years with Nazi songs, death threats, and sexual assault. Despite reports from at least ten students, the university told victims their complaints weren’t serious enough and suggested carrying rape whistles.
Pattern of Escalating Violence and Harassment
The allegations against Marlon U., a 25-year-old psychology student who began his studies at Vrije Universiteit in autumn 2022, paint a disturbing picture of systematic harassment targeting vulnerable groups [1]. According to Het Parool’s investigation involving 35 sources conducted since the start of 2026, U. has allegedly engaged in a pattern of intimidation, vandalism, threats, assault, and inappropriate touching over a three-year period [1]. The behavior has primarily targeted women and LGBTQ+ individuals, with witnesses reporting incidents ranging from singing the Nazi song “Erika” to making sexually explicit threats such as “Come to a hotel room with Reinout and me, we’ll fill up all your holes” [1]. U. has also allegedly made homophobic slurs, including “Hey faggot, faggot! Can’t I have a little kiss?” directed at gay students [1].
Critical Incidents and Police Involvement
The situation reached a violent crescendo on November 27, 2025, during a student council event where U. made inappropriate comments to a gay council member and sang “Erika” with fellow VSP member Reinout V. [1]. When confronted about singing the Nazi song at Bar Boele, U. allegedly assaulted a student with a non-western background, resulting in the victim sustaining a swollen nose and cuts [3]. The victim described the attack: “I was grabbed by my hair and pushed hard to the ground. I was also beaten” [3]. This incident led to U.’s arrest in late December 2025 on suspicion of public disorder and grievous bodily harm, while both he and V. became official suspects in the case [1][3]. The investigation remains ongoing as of February 2026, with both men having been questioned and released pending a possible trial [3].
University’s Inadequate Response to Multiple Reports
Despite at least ten students filing reports with the university’s Security and Behaviour department over the years, the institutional response has been widely criticized as inadequate [1]. Students were reportedly told their “complaints are not serious enough” and were advised to carry a “rape whistle” rather than receiving meaningful protection [2]. In one particularly troubling case, a trans student was instructed to “talk it out” with U. and given a rape whistle, leading to an 18-month delay in their studies [1]. Education law experts have disputed the university’s claim that a “criminal offense” must occur before action can be taken [2]. Former ChangeVU party founder Vincent Mesrine described the Security and Behaviour department as “useless,” stating that even after speaking with the Executive Board, no action was taken [1]. The situation became so problematic that students compiled lists of incidents involving U. and sent them to university authorities in 2024 and 2025, yet the behavior continued unabated [1].
VSP Party’s Controversial Agenda and Political Splits
U. serves as both founder and leader of the Vrijmoedige Studentenpartij (VSP), a right-wing conservative party founded in 2023 that advocates for “academic freedom” while campaigning against what it terms “woke ideology” [1][3]. The party, which has close ties to the Forum for Democracy (FvD), holds two of eleven seats in the Vrije Universiteit student council and operates at five Dutch universities, with members receiving approximately €360 per month [1][3]. However, the controversy surrounding U.’s behavior has caused significant fractures within the organization. The Utrecht branch formally split from the main party following U.’s arrest, with local chairman Lloyd-Leonard Opdam stating: “This was the last straw for us. Whatever the context may be, this certainly does not meet standards of decency” [3]. The party’s tactics have included bringing NPO camera crews onto campus without permission to film transgender students and distributing stickers during the 2024 elections with messages such as “There are two genders! Do you still dare to say it?” [1][8].