Luxembourg Teacher Dismissed After Social Media Posts Criticizing Gaza War

Luxembourg’s Ministry of National Education has dismissed elementary school teacher Fatima Kurtic, a survivor of the Bosnian genocide, over social media posts criticizing the killing of children in the Gaza Strip and condemning Israel’s military actions. The ministry said the decision was based on posts it considered anti-Semitic.

Kurtic rejected that characterization, stating that her posts criticized the Israeli government and Zionism rather than Jewish people or Judaism. She said her messages expressed solidarity with Palestinians and opposition to war crimes and the killing of civilians, arguing that her dismissal violated her right to freedom of expression.

Following her dismissal, students, parents, and supporters organized peaceful demonstrations calling for her reinstatement. Kurtic, who arrived in Luxembourg as a Bosnian refugee in 2002 after spending four years in a refugee camp, has maintained that her advocacy has consistently focused on human rights and has never targeted Jewish individuals or the Jewish faith.