{"id":147890,"date":"2022-12-09T10:35:38","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T09:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=147890"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:33","slug":"board-feels-miserable-about-police-raid-in-sanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/12\/09\/board-feels-miserable-about-police-raid-in-sanders\/","title":{"rendered":"Board feels ‘miserable’ about police raid in Sanders"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a new statement on last week\u2019s OccupyEUR protest, the Executive Board says that they feel \u00a0‘miserable’ that the occupation of the Sanders Building last week ended in a police raid and ten arrests.<\/p>\n

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Students were arrested after the protest in the Sanders building on 28 November.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWouter Sterrenburg<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In response to the activists\u2019 request, the administration is going to give insight into what the university is doing in the field of sustainability and what its relationships are with organisations in the fossil industry. \u201cWhat is certain is that Erasmus University does not invest in the fossil industry\u201d, the statement reads. The board hopes to share initial insights in January.<\/p>\n

In the short term, the board invites the academic community to discuss the issue in a \u2018broad dialogue\u2019. \u201cWe want to be visible and approachable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next week, the board will join an already planned roundtable discussion on Erasmian values and sustainability. Furthermore, the board has asked Studium Generale to organise meetings in the short term. Students suffering mentally from the consequences of the events can get psychological help, the Board writes. This applies to OccupyEUR members as well as bystanders.<\/p>\n

'Most reliable of all sources'<\/h2>

Last week, the board already expressed regret for the police deployment<\/a>. Ed Brinksma, chair of the Executive Board, reiterated on Thursday that he had acted after discussing some scenarios, coming from \u2018the most reliable of all sources, the police\u2019. The police told Brinksma \u2018that groups from outside the university would join the action\u2019. Thereupon, the board decided to end the occupation of Sanders. According to the university, the police were deployed only after a small group of activists refused to leave, \u2018after repeated requests\u2019. The board will evaluate the whole incident with the police and will come back to it later.<\/p>\n

The police action caused a wave of outrage among students and academics who expressed this in an open letter. This was followed by the board\u2019s expression of regret last Thursday.<\/p>\n

Psychological help<\/h2>

Brinksma says the events took a while to sink in. \u201cWith severe stomach ache as a result. We want to be tolerant, facilitate debate, and this is not the way we want to deal with each other. This escalation was completely unforeseen for us. This is not dialogue, and if that is what we want then this is not the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the statement, the board stressed that they do not hold the participating students responsible for anything. It wants to accommodate people who were harmed by the events in any way. Furthermore, the university is offering psychological help to affected students who \u2018who have experienced distress and are in need of it\u2019. \u201d Above all, campus is a place where students should feel safe. Last week\u2019s events did not contribute to that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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