By Lisa Jesudas
On Monday 20 November, a white poster with “Stop the genocide” and “Free Palestine” written in red paint stood out against the wooden wall by the staircase of the first floor in the Academic Building (AB). This poster overlooked a sit-in led by students condemning AUC’s silence on the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. For over three hours, their chants and speeches reverberated to every corner of the university college: “Free! Free! Palestine!”
Initially, many bystanders merely observed the scene from a watchful distance. While there was a sizable group participating in the chants at the foot of the first floor staircase, it was only when they began a new chant that the sit-in significantly increased in numbers: “Don’t just watch us! Join us!”
Word of the sit-in was first announced at approximately 11:30 by AUFreePalestine (AUFP) on their Instagram account. In a post, they urged students to join them, “to make some noise and demand an end to AUC’s complicity in genocide.” News travelled through word of mouth as well.
Anna Paoli, a third-year Social Science major, had heard from a friend earlier that the sit-in would happen. “I wasn’t really expecting for something to actually happen in the AB,” Paoli notes. She appreciated the moments when individual organisers would take turns to give speeches throughout the demonstration. Specifically, when they highlighted concrete demands.
“I thought it was really powerful; especially, for how many people showed up and for that lengthy amount of time”
Alice Noirot, third-year social science student
Throughout the demonstration, the sit-in organisers were vocal about their three demands to AUC and its parent institutions. Firstly, to be transparent about ties with Israeli institutions and to effectively cut these ties. Secondly, to revoke the University of Amsterdam (UvA) house rules that ban cultural and political expression and protest. Thirdly, to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza and condemn Israeli occupation in carrying out ethnic cleansing. The AUFP organisers felt no further need to provide a statement when approached by The Herring.
The number of people participating in the sit-in ebbed and flowed, but a substantial number of individuals remained all throughout. Still, many students and staff did not receive the memo and were caught unawares of the uproar. Third-year Social Science student Alice Noirot approached the AB in time for her 13:45 class like it was any other Monday. At that point, however, the volume of the sit-in intensified so much that Noirot heard the commotion before entering the building. Both Noirot and Paoli found the sit-in striking. “I thought it was really powerful; especially, for how many people showed up and for that lengthy amount of time,” Noirot says.
Dean Prof. Dr. Martin van Hees and Director of Education Dr. Marianne Riphagen made an appearance at the top of the staircase around 13:30. For a while, they silently stood beside the AUFP organisers before departing back to their offices. Having caught their attention, the chorus of the sit-in escalated even more. They sang, “AUC you can’t hide! Stop supporting genocide!”
A few minutes later, van Hees tapped one of the AUFP organisers on the shoulder, but they ignored the dean. After some time, the AUFP organisers allowed van Hees to address the crowd: “There are some students who really feel unsafe and I would like to take account of this,” van Hees said. He also asked for a time frame of the sit-in given that classes are taking place. One of the AUFP organisers replied to this, saying, “we’re going to stay as long as they want,” while gesturing to the larger group.
As the dean’s words brewed for several seconds, students began to chant, “We are AUC!” With Riphagen, van Hees ascended the stairs back to their offices. The Herring made attempts to receive a comment from van Hees and Riphagen during the sit-in, but they only agreed to speak about it after the demonstration ended.
At approximately 14:20, one of the sit-in organisers made an announcement to the crowd that the police had arrived outside. A police car was stationed on the road across the AB and two officers were seen patrolling outside the building. The Herring approached van Hees and Riphagen about this development. They said that they did not know who called them to the building.
The AUFP organisers checked-in with those sitting in and asked for a vote on who wanted to continue the demonstration. The majority of the crowd raised their hands. In the end, the police did not intervene at all and left. The identity of who contacted the police has not been confirmed at the time of publication.
The AB seemed to hush at around 16:05 when the sit-in ended. A statement was later released by AUFP: “We will continue to sit in until our demands are met.” Another sit-in was held at 12:30 on the following day and a third sit-in is expected to take place again today 23 November.
AUFP hosted a debrief of the first two sit-ins at the dorms on Wednesday 22 November. On this day, the AUC Management Team also released a message addressing the protests via email. The Herring is in the process of scheduling an interview with Dean van Hees about this issue.
The Herring 