{"id":147220,"date":"2022-11-28T11:37:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T10:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=147220"},"modified":"2026-01-19T16:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:25:01","slug":"activists-occupy-sanders-building-erasmus-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/11\/28\/activists-occupy-sanders-building-erasmus-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists occupy Sanders building Erasmus University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some forty people occupied the Sanders building on the Woudestein campus on Monday morning. The activists made several demands, for example that the university cut ties with the fossil fuel industry.<\/p>\n

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Activists dropped a few banners in the hall of the Sanders building.<\/span><\/p>

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The OccupyEUR group, consisting of students, staff and external climate activists, demands that the university cuts ties with fossil fuel companies. They also demand<\/a> an end to the \u2018precarious\u2019 situation of researchers and teachers, an end to student debt and better accessibility to education buildings. In an open letter<\/a>, they explain their demands and collect signatures.<\/p>\n

Fossil industry<\/h2>

OccupyEUR stems from an international movement, in which university buildings are occupied to draw attention to climate change. The organisers hope that through this protest, they can get the university to take action. \u201cA while back, cooperation between the Rotterdam School of Management and Shell was officially ceased, but that was clearly for show. There is still plenty of cooperation with the fossil industry in all sorts of ways, this really can\u2019t go on. In internal discussions, the current four requirements emerged as pressing things that need to be changed\u201d, one of the organisers, Psychology student Charlie, said.<\/p>\n

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For now, five police officers are present.<\/span><\/p>

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OccupyEUR plans<\/a> to hold speeches, workshops and panel discussions today. EUR security will be present at the entrance of the Sanders building checking student cards, around forty activists will be present around 11am.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t clear yet how long the occupation will last, but some activists have brought a sleeping mat.<\/p>\n

Response Executive Board<\/h2>

In a written response, the Executive Board said it \u2018understands\u2019 the group\u2019s motivations. The university \u2018share concerns\u2019 about climate and the future. \u201cThe university takes its responsibility in that regard and has been actively implementing sustainability in all layers of the organisation for some time, through various initiatives,\u201d said Ed Brinksma, president of the Board. He also said he hopes that classes and research on campus will \u2018not be hindered\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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