Halsema calls riot police actions necessary, demonstrators wearing face coverings at UvA rector | Domestic

According to Halsema, intervention is necessary if “there is trespassing, major destruction, disturbances, accessibility for emergency services is not guaranteed, and there is a lack of good contact with the police.” Protecting a peaceful protest is then “an almost impossible task”, says the mayor.

The Amsterdam city council will hold an emergency debate on Friday about the pro-Palestinian protests. Halsema is also present.

Since Monday, action has been taken at various locations of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Protesters demand that the university cut all ties with Israeli organizations. This led to disturbances.

The approximately ten men who got into a fight with pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the Roeterseiland campus of the UvA on Monday evening have not yet been arrested. The police say that the investigation into this group is still ongoing.

Rector Magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek has a “sad feeling” about the violence at the UvA buildings.

“Protests are part of the university, but they should be non-violent. Protesters should therefore not impose their will on others in an aggressive manner,” Verbeek said on Thursday evening in the NPO current affairs program. News hour.

Verbeek said he is also in discussions with demonstrators, but that these conversations are difficult because some of them sit at the table wearing face coverings. He was therefore unable to say whether the aggressive demonstrators were actually UvA students.

Despite the face covering, Verbeek wants to continue talking to the demonstrators. “It’s also very important that you try to de-escalate.”

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