During the clearing of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in The Hague and Nijmegen last week, several people were injured. The Dutch National Student Union (LSVb) finds this unacceptable: “Students who speak out deserve to be heard, not met with batons or police dogs.”
The union has been hearing more frequently from students who feel unsafe during demonstrations and is therefore opening an anonymous hotline. With the reports collected, the LSVb aims to increase pressure on university administrators to engage in dialogue and avoid calling in the police.
More frequent action
The police do appear to be responding more quickly lately. Last year, occupations and tent camps were sometimes tolerated for days, but last Tuesday, the riot police arrived at the Hague campus of Leiden University within an hour. There, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the building’s lobby.
After a short time, they voluntarily left the building, only to block the entrance. The police cleared the entrance and arrested several demonstrators. There were violent clashes: according to university newspaper Mare, five people lost consciousness (whether due to police actions or not), and others were injured.
In Nijmegen, a demonstrator was bitten in the leg by a police dog and had to be admitted to hospital. The LSVb blames administrators for calling the police in the first place, arguing that this leads to demonstrations ending in violence. “Administrators then wash their hands of the matter,” the union says.
Security staff attacked
Radboud University sees things differently. In a statement, the administration said that on Wednesday, demonstrators tried to force their way into a building using violence. “A security guard was bitten on the hand, an employee was grabbed and hit, and another staff member was scratched, with their arm being injured.”
The administration stands by its actions, stating the opposite: “It is disgraceful that our own staff were attacked in this way. It is good to know that the police made arrests.”
Leiden University also believes it had no other choice because the demonstrators “blocked one or more emergency exits”. As a result, the university argued, the safety of everyone in the building could be endangered.
Last Wednesday, students and staff also took action in Utrecht. University of Utrecht Executive Board Chair Anton Pijpers was asked questions about police actions during previous demonstrations. He explained that he draws the line at occupations of university buildings.
