Activists occupy Erasmus building

After the protest on 28 November ended with the police, OccupyEUR is now hoping for a peaceful demonstration where they can make a statement. Thus, banners have been hung with duct tape and a path has been kept clear for students walking in and out of the lecture hall. “We are not out for escalation, we mainly want to show that we will not be bullied away just like that”, said Elias, the press spokesperson of OccupyEUR.

With live music, speeches, corners with stickers and books and even a hairdresser present, the students plan to stay until the university cuts all ties with the fossil industry. The demands are the same as last time: sever ties with the fossil industry, an end to precarious employee contracts, an end to student debt and a more accessible campus.

Executive Board president Ed Brinksma stopped by this morning, but OccupyEUR is holding off on a conversation for now: “We want actual actions. A conversation with some of us does not fit with who we are either, because we are one group”, Elias says.

On Monday, the university acknowledged the climate emergency and came up with some measures. For instance, from next quarter, employees will only be able to order vegetarian snacks and meals from catering and all students will have to be introduced to sustainability education in the coming years.

For OccupyEUR, this is not enough. “Little to no concrete action has been announced, and that is a problem”, Elias believes. “As mentioned before, we don’t want conversation, we want action. In doing so, no students have been asked for input. We are certainly not against the university’s statement, but it is far from enough.”