Pro-Palestine demonstrations block teaching and exams at AUC
Since Monday, lectures and exams at the Amsterdam University College (AUC) have not taken place in part because of ongoing blockades by pro-Palestine demonstrators. The bridge and entrances have been blocked several times and police are present.
A group of about 50 pro-Palestine protesters blocked the AUC entrance and bridge on Tuesday morning. They have been protesting for months, demanding an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. Police were present; the atmosphere was tense. Five protesters were reportedly arrested.
“The UvA must stop suppressing protests with such actions,” said one of the activists present. “With Ukraine and Black Lives Matter it wasn’t a problem before, so why is it now?”
Around half past one, another meeting followed outside where the student council, students and teachers came together to discuss the situation. There is dejection among some over the deployment of the police. There are also concerns about “academic freedom” and whether all opinions and views can still be expressed at the UvA.
Protesters also made education activities impossible on Monday. Exams and lectures could not take place that day, writes dean Martin van Hees in an e-mail to students and staff of the AUC. The police had to be called in to break the blockade and took some of the protesters away.
According to the dean, it is unknown how many students were involved on Monday and whether they are studying at AUC. This is partly because the protesters covered their faces, making identification difficult. The protesters mention in an e-mail that five protesters were arrested Monday after being “brutally dragged, beaten, and handcuffed.” A video shows some of the protesters being taken away in a van.
“We are deeply disturbed by today’s events,” Van Hees wrote in an e-mail. “While we respect the right to protest in the Netherlands, there are conditions attached. We find a blockade of educational facilities unacceptable.”
AUFP
The protesters have united under the name AUFP. On their Instagram page, they announce actions for the rest of March. A document has also been circulated with information about the purpose of the actions, indicating that they are “not personal” but rather based “on the foundation” laid by AUC. “We believe that if we want to be critical and engaged students, we cannot close our eyes to the occupation of Palestine and our own institution’s indifference to this issue.”
The protesters’ demands are also mentioned. For example, they want the UvA and Vrije University of Amsterdam to condemn the “ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people under the apartheid regime.” In addition, the protesters want the universities to “sever ties with Israeli institutions” along with a “complete academic boycott of Israeli universities.” Finally, AUFP demands an “end to the repression of political and cultural expression in solidarity with the Palestinian people.” The protesters say they are being denied the right to demonstrate and that the management is summoning the police on the protesters.
In his e-mail, Dean Van Hees makes “an urgent appeal” to those “involved in organizing these blockades” to “stop the obstruction of education” and “thereby help prevent further escalation.” “Our strength lies in our ability to face challenges together and we invite everyone to participate in finding a constructive way forward.”
