Han van der Maas | I support the UvA
Columnist Han van der Maas is not in favor of the occupations at the UvA. “Time and again, radical left activists seem to think that all world problems begin and end with the policies of the UvA administration.”
Predicting is difficult but the events of Monday, May 6, were a rare commodity. The temptation to re-enact the actions from the US in miniature was irresistible. Entirely according to script, there was even a violent backlash by men in balaclavas and motorcycle helmets. And of course, an eviction followed, again according to the US script.
To the call to strike in protest of the UvA’s decision to end the May 6 occupation, I do not comply. I find the UvA administration’s statement on the UvA News site to be entirely reasonable.
While I do support the call to end Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, I also condemn Hamas’ actions and believe the hostages should be released. I also believe that the key to the solution is in Israel's hands and that the response to Hamas’ violence is disproportionate (over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed).
And yet I do not support the UvA occupiers because the UvA is not a player in this conflict. The demands about cutting ties with Israeli researchers and institutions can hardly be taken seriously. The effect is more likely to be negative than positive, but in any case insignificant. Time and again, radical left activists seem to think that all world problems begin and end with the policies of the UvA administration.
I cannot but conclude that the occupiers are simply looking for a reason to beat the dog, the UvA. Even the long departed Maagdenhuis occupiers came out of their shell again. The termination of the occupation by the ME is cause for yet another outcry against the UvA. There are already calls for the resignation of the Executive Board. Any self-reflection on one's own role in this violence is lacking.
I find the slogan ‘genocidal Halsema’, painted on one of our windows, very inappropriate and another reason to distance myself from these actions. I can think of ten better places for demonstrations and, if necessary, occupations. But no, with the support of staff from my own faculty in particular, the stones are already being pulled out of the streets and new violence follows at another location at the UvA.
These actions against the UvA, a leftist stronghold no less, do no good. The left is not in power and for the right this is a good excuse to do nothing. The only way out is de-escalation, and let's start with that at the UvA. The UvA should be a place for debate and dialogue and not one where people block other people, shout through interviews with invited speakers and make demands.
