A legal matter causing a stir in Portugal and among Israeli political circles is moving to the criminal investigation phase. The Portuguese Ministry of Higher Education has requested the country's Attorney General to investigate incidents of antisemitism, discrimination, and incitement allegedly occurring between 2024 and 2026 at the University of Coimbra. The move follows a series of complaints filed by Bar Harel, an Israeli-American-Portuguese doctoral student, who claimed he was subjected to death threats, witnessed posters calling for harm to Zionist students, and observed Hezbollah flags raised on faculty grounds.
According to Harel, these events forced him to abandon his computer engineering doctoral studies. The complaint includes serious allegations of incitement to terrorism, including the glorification of Yahya Sinwar as a hero. This process gained momentum after the Portuguese Ombudsman published harsh findings last March, stating that the university administration displayed "substantial passivity" toward the student's reports and threatened him with legal action if he publicized the case.
The Ombudsman defined the institution's conduct as a violation of fundamental rights. Conversely, the University of Coimbra rejects the allegations entirely. In its official response, the university claimed the complaints were too general, lacking specific details on the identities of those involved or exact locations, thus making them impossible to verify or act upon. Furthermore, the institution stated that the student demanded three million euros in compensation in exchange for refraining from legal action, a demand rejected outright.
The university also declared it had reported the alleged extortion attempt to law enforcement. The Portuguese Ministry of Higher Education clarified that it currently lacks identifying details regarding the perpetrators, hence the transfer of the case to the state's central investigation bodies. The Israeli Embassy in Lisbon welcomed the decision to investigate and called on authorities to review past complaints regarding antisemitism. Harel noted he is receiving legal support from professional entities, including the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, and emphasized that evidence is now in the hands of the authorities. As of now, these are mutual allegations yet to be adjudicated in court, with the proceeding's outcome pending the criminal investigation results.