14:57
Hundreds of people occupy UvA grounds
Hundreds of people are now present at the pro-Palestinian protest on the Binnengasthuis grounds of the University of Amsterdam. On Wednesday afternoon, more and more people are coming to the occupation of the site in the center of the capital, reporters from the ANP see. Many people demonstrate outside the barricade that demonstrators have set up.
The demonstrators hold up scarves so that the media cannot take images. There are also people standing on the roof and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. Stones have been removed from the street to strengthen the barricade. The demonstrators on the Binnengasthuis grounds use a ladder to move over the barricade. They have been blocking the complex since Tuesday evening and some of them have also slept there.
The activists want the UvA to cut all ties with Israeli institutions. A conversation earlier on Wednesday with the university board did not yield anything concrete. The talks will resume at 4 p.m. After the first consultation, Rector Magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek said that the demonstrators have submitted a number of demands. (AP)
14:47
Rector UvA: conversations with demonstrators still fruitless
The consultation between the board of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupying the Binnengasthuis site has not yet resulted in any concrete agreements. This is what Rector Magnificus of the UvA Peter-Paul Verbeek told city channel AT5. According to Verbeek, the board talked with the activists for more than an hour and the discussions will continue at 4 p.m.
The demonstrators want the university to cut all ties with Israeli institutions. They have been blocking the site in the center of Amsterdam since Tuesday evening. Some of them also spent the night there. There was also a demonstration on the UvA’s Roeterseiland campus on Monday evening. That protest camp was cleared by the police.
“I am very happy that we are in discussions,” Verbeek told AT5. “We understand very well that the situation in Gaza affects them very much, and it affects us too.” According to the rector, the demonstrators have submitted a number of demands to the university board. “We’ve been talking about it quietly, but we haven’t reached an agreement yet.”
According to the UvA, the talks will continue later on Wednesday “to give the parties involved time to think about the proposals made,” the university said in a statement. ‘The Executive Board will keep in touch with the demonstrators and hopes to work towards a solution that puts an end to this situation and that works for all parties.’
According to AT5, Rector Magnificus Verbeek made no statements about a possible report by the UvA against the demonstrators on the Binnengasthuis grounds. The demonstration on Roeterseiland was cleared on the night of Monday to Tuesday, after the UvA reported a breach of the peace. “Conversation remains the solution, even in moments when we are at odds with each other on campus,” the UvA said in the statement published on Wednesday. (AP)
12:48
Another pro-Palestinian protest in Utrecht this afternoon
There will be another pro-Palestinian protest in Utrecht this afternoon, this time at the academy building on Domplein. The university has announced that it does not want to meet all the demands of the demonstrators. It is still unclear whether it is another occupation or another form of protest, reports RTV Utrecht.
Last night’s occupation led to several arrests. The police report that everyone was released shortly after the university library was cleared. Today’s protest is being held because demonstrators believe the police deployment last night was excessive. “You don’t send the police on your own students,” says a spokesperson. (AP)
11:48
Emergency debate in Amsterdam city council on Friday about UvA protests
The Amsterdam city council will hold an emergency debate on Friday afternoon about the pro-Palestinian protests on the grounds of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). A spokesperson for the Amsterdam council confirmed this after reporting by AT5 and De Telegraaf. According to the spokesperson, the May recess is officially over, but it is unusual for the council to meet on a Friday.
The General Affairs Committee debate starts at 1 p.m. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema will be present, her spokeswoman said.
The protests started on Monday at the UvA campus on Roeterseiland in Amsterdam, where demonstrators set up tents. The demonstration there was cleared by the police on the night of Monday to Tuesday, after the UvA filed a report of trespassing. Since Tuesday, demonstrators have occupied another UvA site, the Binnengasthuis site in the city center. Some of them spent the night there. There are still dozens of demonstrators standing there.
With their protest, the demonstrators want to force the UvA to sever all ties with Israeli institutions. The board of the Amsterdam University entered into discussions with some of them on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. (AP)
11:47
De Jonge: it’s good that the police intervene after violations during protests
People must also adhere to the law during demonstrations, according to outgoing Minister Hugo de Jonge (Home Affairs). That does not happen in the pro-Palestinian protest around buildings of the University of Amsterdam. “If you pull stones from the street, set off fireworks or set up blockades, then it is right for the police to intervene,” the minister said.
The right to demonstrate is ‘a great asset’, the minister says. ‘But we have to safeguard that great asset together.’ The law should not be broken and others should not be put in unsafe situations. “And that is of course how the expressions in Amsterdam are going on at the moment,” says De Jonge.
He therefore calls it a good thing that the triangle of the mayor, the Public Prosecution Service and the police is ‘on top’. (AP)
11:47
Top Utrecht university calls for peace and unity
The Executive Board of Utrecht University makes an ‘urgent appeal to our entire community’ to maintain peace and unity ‘with attention and respect for each other’.
The call on the educational institution’s own website follows the occupation and Tuesday’s events in Israel and Gaza. According to the police, this led to dozens of arrests. Police reported on Wednesday morning that all demonstrators had been released without having to identify themselves. The arrests were only made to restore public order, police said.
“We would have preferred that the demonstration – for which we provided space – had ended without police deployment,” said Anton Pijpers, the chairman of the executive board. ‘Partly because the house rules were not followed, serious concerns arose about safety. Unfortunately, our requests for consultation and calls to leave have not been heeded on several occasions.
The Executive Board ‘hears and reads’ on a daily basis about the concerns of students and employees about the current situation in Israel and Gaza. ‘As a university, we share these concerns and feelings of sadness, bewilderment and powerlessness about the violence resulting from this conflict. We sympathize with everyone affected by this conflict, regardless of side. We hope this conflict ends as soon as possible.”
Demonstrating and protesting is part of our democracy, the council further said, and ‘is therefore part of life on the campus of Utrecht University. We offer the space for this, provided this is done respectfully and in accordance with our house rules. That wasn’t the case yesterday.’
There is always room for different perspectives and feelings at Utrecht University, says Pijpers. ‘Calls for hatred, violence, intolerance, intimidation or calls that otherwise exceed the framework of an open society do not fit in with this.’
Three demonstrators were seen in front of the fence at the Utrecht university library on Wednesday morning. They said they did not know whether or how many others would join. The police announced at the end of the morning on Wednesday that they were not present at the university. (AP)
