The field is muddy, it’s drizzling, and there are train delays. Yet the turnout exceeds expectations. The area fills with tens of thousands of demonstrators. “We were hoping for around ten thousand people”, says a union representative. “There might be twice as many.”
The police estimate the crowd slightly lower, at 15,000, but even so, people have travelled to The Hague from across the country. Buses have been chartered, trains taken, and delays ignored.
Who is the minister for Education?
A Norwegian psychology student has come with about 35 others from Maastricht. “Trump was elected partly due to conspiracy theories”, she says. “That alone shows how important knowledge and good education are.” Further along, two university communications staff shelter under the awning of a stall. “Who’s the minister for Education again?” one asks. Oh yes, it’s Eppo Bruins.
Most people do know his name. The NSC minister features prominently on placards and banners. One reads ‘Bruin, bruiner, Bruins’, while another declares: ‘Stop the Eppocalypse’. That last phrase echoes across the Malieveld as a speaker shouts it into a microphone.
Marileen Dogterom, president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, stands at the front of the field. What does she expect from the day? “That we send such a clear signal that the House of Representatives starts questioning whether these cuts are really a good idea. And I hope that the Senate will at least put a stop to them.”
Blocking the cuts
She’s not alone in that hope. The four coalition parties lack a majority in the Senate, leaving them reliant on opposition parties. The opposition has already expressed its intent to block the cuts, though they still need to agree on how to do so.
SP leader Jimmy Dijk is also present. “The most important thing is that the entire opposition wants these cuts off the table. But we mustn’t turn a penalty for studying into a penalty for being ill”, he says, responding to plans by CDA, D66, and JA21 to slightly reduce health insurance deductibles. “Let’s not pit people against each other. We’ll be talking in the coming days to see how we can stop these draconian cuts.”
Representatives from trade unions, student organisations, and educational bodies give speeches. Abdelkader Karbache, chair of the National Student Union, struggles to decide what to tell the demonstrators first. He calls it hypocritical that the minister needs more time to work out, of all things, the slow-progress penalty. Thousands of voices cheer and boo in agreement. But Karbache also says that one demonstration won’t be enough, urging people to realise their influence, unite, and join a union.
Gaza
An earlier protest in Utrecht on 14 November was cancelled over fears of pro-Palestinian rioters. Students still took to the streets, and no incidents occurred. Bas van Weegberg (FNV) insists that governments should keep their ‘hands off’ the right to protest. He emphasises that this right is equally important ‘for those pleading for peace in Gaza, where no university is still standing’.
Finally, three opposition politicians take to the stage. D66 leader Rob Jetten invokes an old slogan: “If you think education is expensive, you don’t know how costly ignorance is.” GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans highlights education’s role in building bridges within society. Sandra Beckerman, SP spokesperson for higher education, says it’s amazing to see “how we are standing up together and taking action.”
The event ends with an orchestra playing a version of the Italian protest song Bella Ciao (‘Say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye, bye, bye!’), and the demonstrators begin their march through The Hague, past the Ministry of Education. They pause only for passing trams.
