Opening of academic year cancelled after disruption by protesters
The opening of the academic year was suspended by Rector Magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek after demonstrators refused to leave the building. The rector was able to finish his speech, but the remainder of the programme was cancelled.
Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek had barely finished his closing words when a handful of demonstrators entered the hall. They chanted slogans such as “Palestine will be free” and “UvA, UvA, shame on you, your silence is complicity.” Flyers were also thrown down from the balconies.
The demonstrators were repeatedly asked to leave, but they refused to comply. Verbeek then decided to suspend the programme. Security kept their distance. The audience left the building, while the demonstrators remained inside.
Crossed a line
“The demonstrators have now crossed a line,” says Rector Magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek. “But there is little we can do. I do not have a police force at the University of Amsterdam, nor do I want one. But this cannot go on.” The rector further stated that he intends “to enter into discussions about the house rules” with the demonstrators.
The reception following the ceremony in the Maagdenhuis is going ahead, although there was some confusion about how: the doors of the Maagdenhuis initially turned out to be locked. Security redirected attendees back to the Aula, from where there is an entrance to the Maagdenhuis.
Ironically, in his speech the rector had called for greater connection and openness towards one another. “Protest may be sharp, but it must never be hostile. Differences of opinion may be profound, but they must never undermine our dignity. Address others, and be open to being addressed yourself.”
