Marc Cogen (born 1955) is a Belgian jurist and former professor at
Ghent University
Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium.
Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...
.
Career
Cogen began his career as a lawyer at the
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
bar in 1978, and started his academic career at Ghent University in 1982. He also taught at the
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...
and the
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch language, Dutch, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch- and English-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engine ...
for periods, and advised in the financial world and in politics. From 2004 to 2007 he was an advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Karel De Gucht
Karel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht (; born 27 January 1954) is a Belgian politician who was the European Commissioner for Trade from February 2010 until 31 October 2014. He ran for rector elections in 2009, which he lost.
He is a co-founder and member of the board of directors of the European Friends of Israel, and sits on the board of directors of the Jewish nature movement "Keren Kayemeth Le Israel", which organises tree planting campaigns in Israel. In 2007, he participated in the international
counter-jihad
Counter-jihad (also known as the counter-jihad movement) is a self-titled Islamophobia, anti-Muslim political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across the Western world. Proponents are ...
conference in Brussels.
Suspension
In 2010, he was preventively suspended from his position as Professor of Public International Law after repeated reports of "transgressive behaviour". Among other things he had "controversial" positions on Israel, the United States and the
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, and had previously accused the university and a number of colleagues of
antisemitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
. Despite negative evaluations from some students, he also had supporters, including a supportive
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
group. In 2011, he was seconded to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Ghent University
Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium.
Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...