Pro-Palestinian protests cost UvA over four million euros

This summer’s student protests against the war in Gaza have cost the University of Amsterdam a total of 4.1 million euros. The delay to the construction of the university library is cited as the biggest drain on the university’s finances.

In a press release, the university states that pro-Palestinian protests in May and June ended in vandalism, graffiti and buildings being occupied. Barricades were erected, rooms and windows smashed, doors forced open and walls daubed with paint.

The University of Amsterdam puts the total cost of the protests at 4.1 million euros. This includes cleaning costs and the expense of replacing coffee machines, furniture, monitors, security cameras and smashed windows.

New construction halted

The construction of the new university library suffered a delay of almost three months. The University of Amsterdam estimates the cost of the delay at 2.5 million euros, in addition to direct damage to the construction site caused during the protests.

The university intends to recover the damages from the perpetrators ‘if legally feasible’. If this fails, it will file a claim with its insurer.