Protesters camp overnight, plan on staying ‘until university acknowledges demands’

Around twenty protesters stayed on campus overnight in tents outside the Food plaza. There are no intentions of leaving and more activities will be held throughout the day.

The encampment night went ‘fairly relaxed’, according to one of the protesting students, who wished to remain anonymous. The night did not go uninterrupted, though. “We had people telling what we were doing is wrong, and someone played very loud music early morning. But all in all, it was a fairly calm night”, shares the student. Protesters took turns as ‘night watchers’ to ensure everyone’s safety. Security guards were also present.

Here to stay

The protesting students and staff members do not intend on stopping their activities until their demands are met by the Exectuive Board. “Even if it takes a few days, we’re here because there is a genocide in Palestine and we want to make our voice heard”, shares the student. “We will stay until the university recognises and acknowledges our demands.” Activities are organised for the day, such as talks and ‘reading circles’.

Raising questions

Some bypassers on campus express discontent and question the slogans sprayed on the campus grounds. “There have been protests before that clearly were not acknowledged by the university board. We are trying to make ourselves more present and make sure everyone understands why we are here”, responds the student, who is open to dialogue with bypassers. “We’re happy to talk to the other people on campus to make sure that we’re all aware of what is happening.”

The spray-painted slogans and banners are by the tents outside the Food court, with a few on the ground outside the Langeveld building. Some of them include ‘we left our classes to teach you a lesson’, ‘dialogue is overdue, we want action now’, and ‘If Gaza burns Rotterdam burns’. 

The university also shared in its liveblog that the night went peacefully. There are some additional security measures taken. The Mandeville car park is closed and the Sanders, Erasmus and Mandeville buildings are only accessible with a student or staff pass.