By Elea Jürß
During lunch on February 12th, the AB became the stage for Amsterdam University Free Palestine (AUFP) fundraiser for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. At 12:49 pm, the lyrics of “Rossa Palestina” by Umberto Fiora sounded through the halls. “Abbiamo alzato la bandiera partigiana della Rossa Palestina!” or translated “We raise the partisan flag of Red Palestine!”. Later on also music such as the popular anti-fascist Italian folk song “Bella ciao” was played as students had the opportunity to purchase a sweet treat from and connect with members of AUFP.
The bake sale was accompanied by informational leaflets and photos by artist Sakir Khader, dropping down the main staircase into the cafeteria. The flyers were dedicated to informing about the ongoing systematic destruction of Gaza and the genocide against the Palestinian people, and to condemn further actions of the Israeli government on the West Bank. “[Through the infodrop] you reach people who just hadn’t heard about it. It’s not just about the people who know us; a lot of them are either new to the university or haven’t seen our socials before. We weren’t very active last semester, so it’s just about reaching people at a convenient time,” says Icarus, a pseudonym for a spokesperson of AUFP. Aside from conveying information, they wish to bring awareness to the conversation itself. “The language of the discussion around the ’ceasefire’ is very hypocritical and immoral.”
AUFP has previously hosted information sessions on protest, daily updates on Palestine and several walkouts, one of which was on September 29th. The fundraiser marks the first event of the new semester. “I think it was really nice. I had the feeling that [the flyers] were everywhere, and you couldn’t escape them. Even if you don’t come to the sale, you have to notice them,” says Melis Turan, a first-year Humanities major.
Student Council Chair Willemijn Eijsink, who hosted the Student Council office hours at the time, commented: “We support students’ right to protest, which is why we are in the process of adding a section to the Social Code of Conduct on students’ rights at a protest in the AB. This is especially important given the context of previous students being placed on probation for their actions demonstrating the same cause in 2023/24.”
The Herring 