Antisemitism at a Portuguese university and threats against an Israeli doctoral student: "Sinwar is a hero"
"Zionists are worse than the Nazis", "Holocaust to your family", "Bar Harel, get out of our city": An Israeli student in Coimbra complained about graffiti that included personal threats, the Portuguese prosecution has launched a criminal investigation. The university was accused of "passivity", and claimed: "The posters were outside the campus, the complaint was general and unverified".
The Portuguese Public Prosecution is required to open an investigation following complaints by an Israeli-American-Portuguese doctoral student regarding antisemitic posters, Hezbollah flags, and death threats at the university. The affair is being widely covered in the Portuguese media, while the Israeli Embassy in Lisbon welcomed the decision and called for the investigation of other cases that have been brought to the attention of the authorities.
The Portuguese Ministry of Higher Education turned to the country's Prosecutor General, Amadeu Guerra, with a demand to open a criminal investigation on suspicion of antisemitism, discrimination, and incitement to hatred and violence at the University of Coimbra. The appeal, which was also transferred to the Central Criminal Investigation Department and the Coimbra District Prosecution, is based on complaints filed against the university by a doctoral student named Bar Harel, who holds American, Portuguese, and Israeli citizenship.
According to the complaint, between July 2024 and May 2026, posters, stickers, and graffiti with antisemitic content were placed at the Faculty of Science and Technology and other faculties at the university, including sentences such as "Zionists must carry a certificate proving they are human beings" and "Beware of Zionists". In those same places, it is claimed, Hezbollah flags were flown and images supporting Hamas were displayed, alongside a poster calling Yahya Sinwar a "hero". Harel, according to the complaint, was the target of death threats, including the sentence "Your family deserves a second Holocaust", as well as an alleged physical assault for carrying a small Israeli flag on his bag. The student abandoned his doctoral studies in computer engineering at the university following the events.
The Ministry of Higher Education asked the Prosecutor General to order the initiation of investigative proceedings. The document details possible offenses: discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, public glorification of a terrorist organization, threats, and harm to physical integrity. The appeal comes against the background of a previous decision by the Portuguese Ombudsman, who in March 2026 determined that the university failed in handling Harel's complaints, discovering "substantial passivity" and noting that the university even threatened the student with a lawsuit if he exposed the situation.
The University of Coimbra stated in response that from the moment it received the reports from the student, it made available to him "accompaniment by the competent authorities, including psychological support". According to the university, the complaints were "general and did not include concrete details such as identification of those involved, exact location, or timeframe", and therefore could not be verified. It was further stated that the posters to which the student referred were not located on campus. The university noted that a claim was also transferred to the authorities according to which the student demanded three million euros in order not to continue legal proceedings against it — a demand that the university "immediately rejected".
The Israeli Embassy in Portugal responded to the authorities' decision: "We are happy to hear that the Portuguese authorities have decided to open an investigation into the issue of antisemitism at the University of Coimbra. We call on all authorities to continue the fight against antisemitism". Bar Harel stated: "I am happy that the authorities decided to open an investigation into the matter after numerous complaints that reached the European Parliament. We are fighting so that Israeli and Jewish students will no longer be the object of hatred in educational institutions".
