‘Screw the government’, ‘Say goodbye to your fine’, ‘Let me study, not stagnate’… Students hold up countless banners and protest signs. Among them are communists handing out flyers, but also students dressed in suits and ties.
On a stage opposite The Hague Central Station, a range of speakers addressed the crowd during the protest against the slow-progress penalty. They led the enthusiastic crowd in chants: ‘Fight, fight, fight, education is a right!’
Across the country
Hundreds of students from across the country had gathered. When asked, they could easily list reasons why their studies might take longer. One is serving a year on a student association board, another has a chronic illness, yet another spends a lot of time playing sports and also has personal issues.
Maurice Limmen, chair of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, was also present, along with several applied sciences administrators. He addressed the crowd and listed the many cities from which applied sciences students had travelled: Breda, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Rotterdam and even Groningen. They all cheered.
3-0 behind
At the edge of the field, Abdelkader Karbache was speaking to the press. He is the chair of the Dutch Student Union LSVb and the driving force behind the protest. “We’re not just here because of the slow-progess penalty”, he said. “The government wants to cut a billion euros. That’s equivalent to two entire universities or multiple universities of applied sciences. Even if the fine is scrapped, we’ll still be 3-0 behind.”
He also took the stage, where he called the government’s plans ‘outrageous’. Some young people, he said, are dropping out of their studies or not even starting because it’s become so expensive. There are huge labour market shortages, yet the government is driving students away, he sneered.
Strict
Karbache also struck a slightly stern tone. Why are students allowing themselves to be used as piggy banks that politicians can smash open? According to him, students are a small group, and politicians think, ‘no one cares anyway’. “And let’s be honest, they’ve got a bit of a point, haven’t they? We’ve let this all happen.” He pointed to the low youth wages and high rents (‘for a chicken coop’).
He urged everyone to take action, highlighting the right to protest, vote, and the minimum wage. “We didn’t get these things by asking for them. Our ancestors fought hard for them, and sometimes even died for them, that’s how important it is.”
Bingo card
Other speakers that afternoon included trade union leaders, but also a student with a ‘bingo card’ full of misfortunes (such as chronic illness and ADHD) who already knows she’ll become a delayed student. And if any exceptions are made, she’ll once again have to prove that she deserves them.
Eventually, the crowd set off on a march through The Hague. Some dropped out, but the demonstrators still formed a long line. Many left-wing slogans could be heard, like ‘the student struggle is a class struggle’.
The Dutch National Student Association (ISO) also joined the protest, even though this organisation (with its roots in student participation) is less inclined towards demonstrations. “I’m very pleased with the large turnout”, said chair Mylou Miché. The political slogans didn’t bother her. After all, the ISO is politically neutral.
Police blockade
Towards the end of the march, police vans blocked the way. The officers wanted the demonstrators to finish at a different field than the one they had started from. The students refused, wanting to return to their stage.
The organisers felt their right to protest was being violated. “They already sent a few students away from the field earlier because it was supposedly too crowded”, one organiser grumbled. “This is how things go under the Wilders government, apparently.”
But after some negotiation, the vans moved aside and the students were allowed to continue. What had happened? It appeared to be a case of miscommunication. “The group was stopped because they hadn’t started at the agreed location”, said a police spokesperson. “After discussions with the mayor, it was decided that they could return to their starting point.”
