Pro-Palestine demonstration | “Very disappointed in UvA’s attitude”
Pro-Palestine demonstrators wanted to stay all night and longer on the middle lawn of the Roeterseiland campus, but things turned out differently. Around three o'clock this morning, the campus was swept clean by the police. New demonstrations have been announced for today.
Through a spokesperson, the UvA communicated that the eviction was certainly “not nice” but that there was no other option left for the police than to intervene. “At some point, you run out of options.” In a statement, the Executive Board says it “deeply regrets” that the demonstration ended this way.
Dialogue
One of the protesters’ demands included ending university collaboration with Israel. “It is too early to say whether collaboration will be suspended,” said the UvA spokesperson. “We will, however, start a UvA-wide dialogue as soon as possible, similar to the one on fossil fuels. We will be meeting with a delegation of the protesters to gather ideas for that dialogue. I expect that conversation can start before the summer.”
The protesters accused the UvA administration of being conspicuously absent yesterday. The Telegraaf suggests that the UvA board is abroad. This is not correct, president of the Board Geert ten Dam says. “We are all here.” The UvA spokesperson said: “FMG Dean Agneta Fischer and Director of Communication Henriëtte van Oosterzee spoke to the protesters. What came out of that, among other things, was that the list of collaborations would be shared and dialogue initiated.”
Zionists
The question of how to proceed seems somewhat premature, said ASVA Board member Ilona Polle. “We are mainly going to look after the students today and support them emotionally, but as far as we are concerned, the proceedings last night definitely did not go well.” As Polle sees it, the ASVA is “very disappointed” in the UvA and strongly disapproves of the police action. “The UvA should comply with the wishes of its students. A demonstration is part of that and should never be allowed to get out of hand and lead to violence. It’s a bit late for the Executive Board to request a dialogue. There have long been calls to end ties with Israel. By this action, the Board shows it is not open to talks; they say one thing and then do another.”
CSR Chair
CSR Chair Noah Pellikaan, who was on the grounds all evening, was eventually detained by police and held in a cell. He had now been released but is not only disappointed but “deeply shocked and furious” by what he saw. “What I witnessed last night was a war zone. People were rounded up with bulldozers and injured. This is no longer a democratic country. The police intervened, but only after having been summoned by the UvA.”
“And start a dialogue now? This is yet another false dialogue: People start a dialogue and then continue on the same path. I speak here on behalf of the majority of the CSR when I say that this Board must go. Now! Geert ten Dam is leaving soon and her successor will have a chance to prove herself. But we have lost all confidence in Board members Jan Lintsen and Peter-Paul Verbeek. Their authoritarian leadership style is unacceptable. How can this Board ever make policy on social safety again? That is completely hypocritical, isn’t it? We have to get rid of this Board.”
Too late
Student Council member Carlos van Eck, a member of the Faculty of Humanities Student Council and a former CSR member, also attended yesterday’s demonstration until the end. He said via telephone that there is “a lot of anger” about what happened last night. “Sharing the list of collaborations with Israel is only a first step for the UvA. Those collaborations must be ended altogether. That demand still stands as far as I am concerned.”
He feels that the UvA-wide debate on the Palestinian issue announced by the UvA comes too late. “The UvA is introducing that debate much too late; the war has been going on for six months. I’m holding my breath waiting to see how things will proceed. In any case, in preparation for that debate, I believe the UvA should sever all ties with Israel.”
News of the demonstration has also reached the parties negotiating a new coalition in The Hague. The BBB MP party and its chairwoman, Caroline van der Plas, have meanwhile requested a parliamentary debate “concerning the unrest at the UvA.”
A new demonstration has been announced for this afternoon.
