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11:37
Mayor Femke Halsema about a week of UvA demonstrations: ‘There was no longer any peaceful protest’
Just before the emergency debate with the council this afternoon, Mayor Femke Halsema sent a statement of facts. ‘What started as peaceful protests,’ Halsema writes, ‘turned into unsafe situations, resulting in criminal behavior and major disruptions to public order. A large number of the actions took place on the grounds and in buildings of the UvA. Considerable destruction was caused.’
Read the article: Mayor Femke Halsema about a week of UvA demonstrations
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10:41
Emergency debate in Amsterdam city hall about UvA protests
The Amsterdam city council will discuss the pro-Palestinian protests this week and the actions of the police on Friday afternoon. Mayor Femke Halsema is also present at the meeting of the General Affairs Committee, which has been scheduled at the request of all factions. The emergency debate starts at 1 p.m.
The demonstrations that are the subject of the emergency debate started last Monday afternoon, when a group of demonstrators set up tents on the Roeterseiland campus of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). With their protest, the demonstrators wanted to force the university to cut all ties with Israeli organizations.
A conversation that took place on Wednesday between some of the demonstrators and the UvA board did not result in any concrete agreements.
There was another protest on Thursday. A few thousand people gathered on the Roeterseiland campus at the beginning of the evening. They later walked through the city in a march, which ended on Spuistraat. There the riot police carried out several small charges. The police arrested three people.
Read here what Halsema can expect during the emergency debate.
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10:28
How Amsterdam politics is struggling with the UvA demonstrations
Student protests and Amsterdam, it is a historic combination, writes political reporter Tim Wagemakers in Republic of Amsterdam, in which he highlights a political topic from the city.
Coalition parties face a difficult task: how do they not completely abolish institutions such as the police but also the UvA, while they also want to offer support for the protesting students?
Read his column: Then it was Eberhard van der Laan with an eye patch. But this week was different
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10:27
Welcome to this live blog
Good morning and welcome to this live blog about today’s emergency debate. Mayor Femke Halsema is awaiting a debate with the city council at 1 p.m. about the protests at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the actions of the triangle. In this live blog, political reporters take the lead Het Parool Tim Wagemakers and David Hielkema follow the debate.
The demonstrations that are the subject of the emergency debate started last Monday afternoon, when a group of demonstrators set up tents on the Roeterseiland campus of the UvA. With their protest, the demonstrators wanted to force the university to cut all ties with Israeli organizations.
Read last Monday’s reconstruction here: Once a large spotlight had been arranged, the evacuation of the UvA Roeterseiland campus could begin
Today is the fifth day that the Pro-Palestinian demonstrators will demonstrate in front of the town hall. Follow our live blog for all developments.
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