“It is incredibly unfortunate that the organisers of the demonstration were forced to decide it could not proceed because the safety of participants could not be guaranteed”, the Executive Board said in a statement. Board members Annelien Bredenoord, Jantine Schuit, and Ellen van Schoten, along with the deans, were planning to attend the protest in Utrecht.
“There were clear indications that the demonstration could be hijacked by a pro-Palestinian organisation. We could have sent a powerful message to The Hague with thousands of students and staff about the damaging impact of the budget cuts. These cuts are undermining the roots of our knowledge base and, with it, the future resilience of our prosperity.”
The Executive Board noted that “fortunately, there are responses from staff and students everywhere, in newspapers and on social media”. “The cancellation of the demonstration does not mean we cannot make our point. We therefore urge staff and students of EUR to sign the online petition: Stop the cuts in higher education!”
Protesters seek alternatives
Among FNV members who had planned to travel to Utrecht, there was significant unrest over the cancellation. Some expressed frustration that Dijksma had not formally banned the protest and that the unions themselves decided to cancel, although FNV described this as a “de facto” ban.
Some members proposed alternative protests in Groningen or The Hague, or switching to a nationwide strike. Others voiced scepticism about the potential threat posed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. “Every pro-Palestine group and individual I know is firmly against education budget cuts”, someone wrote in an FNV WhatsApp group.
WOinActie called the cancellation ‘incomprehensible’. “The explanation relies on vague reports that an unidentified group might ‘hijack’ the protest and ‘would not shy away from violence’. This makes it impossible to organise large-scale demonstrations anymore”, the protest platform wrote on its website.
STUUR to proceed regardless
The Rotterdam student union STUUR has chosen to disregard Dijksma’s advice. “The protest is forbidden (not formally, ed.), but we’re going anyway”, said STUUR chair Jasper Schut. According to Schut, the scale of the protest means that many will not have heard about the advice from the mayor. “This snowball is already rolling; you can’t stop it anymore.”
STUUR advocates for students’ interests, such as an adequate basic grant and sufficient student housing. Schut argued that the cuts threaten the diversity and quality of education. “Classes will grow larger, there will be less individual attention for students, and entire study programmes may face financial collapse.” Schut believes students can only prevent this by coming together. “No one will do it for you. Stand united!”
