Students occupy University of Amsterdam building

Activists started occupying the University of Amsterdam P.C. Hoofthuis building on Friday morning. They are protesting against cuts at the Faculty of Humanities and other demands include the ‘decolonisation’ of the university.

The building on Spuistrat was barricaded from inside and a banner is being displayed with the inscription ‘autonomous university’. The protesters aim to stay ‘as long as is necessary’, stated the independent university magazine Folia. It is not known how many activists are in the building.

Democracy

The students are demanding more diversity, more democracy and less work pressure for lecturers. Cuts in humanities must be reversed and the cabinet should introduce a basic grant as well as overturning the rate increases on student loans. This can be afforded if the abolition of the dividend tax is reversed.

UvA has started talks with the protesters and has asked them to leave voluntarily. “We have indicated that it is not the intention that people stay overnight in UvA buildings,” the university stated in a statement.

The Amsterdam Student Union Asva and the National Student Union LSVb are supporting the occupation. “Students are not going to stand for this any longer! We support these students who are committed to Higher Education! #WOinActie,” LSVb stated on Twitter.

Protest march

The protesters announced their demands in a manifesto on the Humanities Rally website. This campaign group was one of the driving forces behind the Maagdenhuis occupation in 2015, but is not claiming responsibility for this occupation. “It’s not in our name, but is in our spirit,” stated Humanities Rally.

The campaign group is organising a protest march in Amsterdam this afternoon against the ‘demolition of education’.

Follow the developments around the occupations via the live blog of our colleagues at Folia.