32 arrests during student protests in Amsterdam, university building in Utrecht evacuated

NOS News•today, 04:22

There were further pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities in Amsterdam and Utrecht last night and in the night from Wednesday to Thursday. 32 arrests were made in Amsterdam. Protesters in Utrecht who had occupied the university building on the Drift were taken away by buses. It is not clear whether any arrests have been made in Utrecht.

At the end of Wednesday afternoon, the police intervened at the protest in Amsterdam, where activists occupied a building of the University of Amsterdam. The Binnengasthuis site in the center of the city has been occupied by demonstrators since Tuesday.

Police used shovels to break down barricades made with items including office furniture, ladders and rocks. Protesters attacked the police by spraying fire extinguishers and throwing objects. riot police hit demonstrators.

The eviction started after the UvA filed a report, partly because vandalism had been caused in the buildings. The safety of local residents would also be at stake. “In addition, education cannot continue in the Oudemanhuispoort,” the university said.

Images of the evacuation:

Police started to end student protests at UvA

Some of the demonstrators at the UvA building moved to the Rokin. GVB city buses were stopped there in which arrested demonstrators had to be transported. There are also reports that the buses’ tires have been punctured, but this has not been confirmed.

Later in the evening, the demonstrators on Rokin were also forced to leave by the police. The hundreds of demonstrators were chased towards Muntplein. Later, the demonstrators move to Rembrandtplein, where the group slowly thins out around 11 p.m. Around 11:45 p.m., the police reported that 32 people had been arrested for public violence, destruction, assault and incitement.

Police intervene in new protest on Rokin

Around 11:45 p.m., Utrecht University chairman Anton Pijpers reported for the second time outside the university building on the Drift. He had earlier told the demonstrators occupying the building to leave before 10 p.m. because the building closes around that time. This time he gives an ultimatum: everyone must leave by 00.05.

Around 1 o’clock the first demonstrators were taken away by bus. Demonstrators and the police then faced each other on the bridge between Voorstraat and Wittevrouwenstraat. A reporter from RTV Utrecht reported that three people had been arrested there. This has not been confirmed by the police.

Images show demonstrators being led away in handcuffs:

ME in action at demonstration in Utrecht

After 2:00 am the demonstrators started to leave. At approximately 2:30 am, a spokesperson for the Utrecht police reported that a group of approximately forty demonstrators had been taken away by city buses. “They were dropped off at a different location and not arrested,” the spokesperson said.

According to the ANP news agency, Utrecht University has now decided that the educational and research buildings in the city center will remain closed until 8 a.m. on Monday morning. The university wants to “prevent further nuisance and potentially unsafe situations”. The university “urgently appeals to all its students to maintain peace, prevent further escalation and continue to treat each other with respect,” according to ANP.