By Weronika Szymańska and Ben Kiem
On Monday, the pro-Palestinian protest at UvA reached a new peak as the riot police forcefully ended an occupation at the Roeterseiland campus. Protesters had barricaded themselves inside the ABC building, while outside over a thousand students gathered in a show of support during the demonstration.
The protest was initially announced as a walk-out at 11:00 including a gathering at UvA, initiated by the university’s staff “horrified by the actions of its Executive Board” which had authorised police engagement against the protesters. At around 12:30, however, it turned into an occupation of the building as hundreds of protesters started entering. Reason for the protests was students demanding that the UvA publicly discloses and severs all ties with Israeli institutions and companies.
Similarly to the protest that started a week ago on Monday, the board of the UvA decided to call the police on the protesters to have them removed from the campus. The riot police did so at around 16:00, forcing all protesters out of the building. According to an anonymous protester on the scene, the police announced that no one would be arrested.
Before, dozens of policemen had entered the crowd and divided it into three groups, blocking their access to the building. Shortly after, at around 16:30, the riot police decided to further clear the entire campus by pushing protesters back on all three sides.
Video by Weronika Szymańska
As the police advanced toward the protesters, they began repeatedly striking the peaceful demonstrators with batons, even as the protesters were backing away.
Video by Ben Kiem
Across the water, a similar scene unfolded as a protester in an embryonic position was filmed enduring repeated blows from one police officer until another intervened to restrain their colleague.
After the crowd of around 1000 protesters were pushed off campus, they persisted in their demonstration, rallying and chanting along Roetersstraat until approximately 17:10, at which point they gradually dispersed. Some 350 protesters reunited at Oosterpark, where the teach-in took place, incorporating the reading of the historical Palestinian essay “Dismantle it and let them fall”, according to a The Herring reporter.
As a consequence, the ABC building bore significant damage evident in videos, with spray paint defacing screens and floors, alongside numerous pieces of furniture moved and partially damaged, repurposed as makeshift barricades. UvA has estimated the damages of previous protests to cost around 1.5 Million Euro. The Central Student Council (CSR) has previously denounced acts of vandalism during occupations while emphasising that these incidents are not the primary issue. Instead, they highlight Dutch complicity in “what looks a lot like a genocide.”
Simultaneously, the students of Groningen, Eindhoven and Maastricht Universities started similar encampments on their campuses as well. With the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague’s recent decision to sever ties with Israel, becoming the first Dutch academic institution to take such a stand just three days ago, the protesters are demanding that their universities follow suit. The protest in Roeterseiland saw a unified voice, calling for the university’s divestment from Israeli institutions.
UvA announced on Monday evening that all campuses will be closed on Tuesday May 14 and Wednesday May 15 in response to the events today.
The Herring 