Walkout protest on Roeterseiland Campus against “militarisation of the university”
About two hundred students and staff took part in a walkout protest on the Roeterseiland Campus this afternoon. With the action – exactly two years after the first tent encampment protest at the UvA – they protested, among other things, against the “militarisation of the university.”
Tents once again appeared on the Roetersweiland, the small lawn on the Roeterseiland Campus. Exactly two years after the first large-scale encampment protest at the UvA, in which students opposed the university’s ties with Israeli partners, demonstrators brought back the tents. A photo exhibition commemorated the protests of 6 May 2024, and at 2:30 p.m. a walkout was organised, with around two hundred students and staff temporarily stopping work to protest.
The demonstration and accompanying walkout were organised by the Activist Party “to commemorate the first anti-genocide encampment at the UvA.” As a direct reason for the protest, the radical left-wing student party cited “the increasing militarisation of the university” and “the possible renewal of ties with Israeli institutions.” Spokesperson Hidde Heijnis explained the concerns of the demonstrators: “The university should be a critical voice in society. By increasingly cooperating with Defence and listening to military rhetoric, we lose that independence. That is why we say: put the brakes on.”
Advisory report
To support their concerns about the “increasing militarisation” of the university, the party specifically refers to an advisory report by the Working Group on Collaboration with the Security and Resilience Sector of the Faculty of Science (FNWI). The report concludes, among other things, that there is “broad support” for cooperation with the security and resilience sector, despite “resistance from a small part of the organisation with principled objections.” Heijnis says he “seriously doubts” this: “No students were involved in drafting that report, so you cannot claim broad support based on it.”
The organisers of the protest also criticise the fact that student and staff councils were not consulted in drawing up the advice. Another point of contention is the recommendation to keep ethical assessment of research within the security and resilience sector primarily at faculty level.
Palestine
Nevertheless, as two years ago, concerns about Palestine dominated the protest. Among banners reading “Students against militarisation” and “No justice no peace,” familiar pro-Palestinian chants could be heard, such as “Free, free Palestine” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes.” According to the Activist Party, rector magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek had suggested that renewing ties with Israeli organisations might be an option. The university denies this in bold on its staff website: “It is being suggested that the Executive Board is considering renewed cooperation with Israeli institutions. This is not the case.”
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With today’s protest, the Activist Party also wanted to send a signal to the newly appointed president of the Executive Board, Vinod Subramaniam. On Instagram, the party wrote: “Let’s show him what we are made of.” Heijnis added: “Subramaniam has spoken in favour of cooperation with Defence in Twente, so I hope we can make it clear to him that we do not want that here at the UvA.”
