Damage from protests totals over €4 million euros
The total damage from the occupations and destruction during the pro-Palestine protests in May and June has been calculated at 4.1 million euros. That is far more than the 1.5 million initially calculated by the UvA.
Protests over the war between Israel and Hamas took place in May and June at the Roeterseiland campus, Binnengasthuisterrein and Science Park. Barricades were erected, doors forced, rooms and windows smashed, security cameras sprayed with paint and bricks pulled out of the ground.
Damage included replacing security cameras, furniture, coffee machines and smashed windows. Graffiti also had to be removed and buildings cleaned, reports the UvA in a press release.
More than half of the damage came from delaying the construction of the new University Library (UB). Direct damage, because protesters took materials from the construction site to reinforce barricades, adds up to 267,000 euros. But the biggest blow is that planned work could only proceed weeks later: this cost the UvA 2.5 million euros. Nevertheless, the UvA expects that the new UB can still be opened in September 2025, provided there are no new setbacks.
Hiring extra security because of the protests, for example at night, or closing buildings cost the UvA 140,657 euros.
Should it be legally feasible, the UvA will reclaim the costs of the damages from the perpetrators. This is not yet easy: it is often not clear who is responsible for which acts of vandalism. If it fails to recover the damage, the UvA will have to claim on its insurance.
