{"id":154854,"date":"2023-05-16T14:21:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T12:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=154854"},"modified":"2026-01-19T15:07:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:07:23","slug":"security-guard-to-report-occupy-activist-to-police-due-to-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/05\/16\/security-guard-to-report-occupy-activist-to-police-due-to-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Security guard to report Occupy activist to police due to \u2018threat\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A security guard at Erasmus University intends to report an Occupy activist to the police for allegedly threatening him. The employee claims that the activist threatened to throw him off a four-metre-high ledge last Tuesday. The EUR student denies having threatened the man.<\/p>\n

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The security guard and the activist (hidden behind the security guard) are nose to nose on the ledge.<\/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\tEsther Dijkstra<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

On the day the Erasmus building was occupied, four activists, including the student, climbed the concrete fa\u00e7ade of the Theil building, where they put up three banners that read \u2018Smash fossil capitalism\u2019. After climbing back down using the window cleaning ladder, they attempted to escape via a narrow ledge. The ledge, which is roughly 40 centimetres wide, plummets to a sharp drop of approximately 4 meters on one side.<\/p>\n

The security guard, who was standing in the courtyard at the end of the ledge, initially tried to get the first activist to change his mind. \u201cI told him, \u2018Stay there!\u2019 There\u2019s a door to the Theil Hall there, too, and he could have safely left through there. As security guards, we\u2019re responsible for everyone\u2019s safety on campus at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

The activist failed to follow the repeated instructions of the security guard and attempted to walk towards him using the ledge. The student told EM that he believed the door to be locked. \u201cThere were rumours that the police were on their way, so I thought that they intended to keep me there until police officers arrived to arrest me.\u201d The ledge offered an opportunity of immediate escape without the risk of being arrested.<\/p>\n

Nose to nose<\/h2>

Eventually, the two found themselves toe-to-toe in an increasingly hostile atmosphere. The activist was still perched on the wet and slippery ledge with the security guard blocking access to the courtyard with his body. The security guard continued asking him to return to the door, even though this meant another perilous walk along the ledge. The versions of the security guard and the activist differ on what was subsequently said.<\/p>\n

The security guard: \u201cThat activist really wanted his 5 minutes of fame. I heard a whole lot of profanity, and then all of a sudden, he spoke into my ear in a low voice and said: \u2018if you won\u2019t let me pass, I\u2019ll pull you off the ledge.\u2019\u201d The security guard also claims the student shoved him. \u201cAnd that\u2019s when you\u2019ve pushed me to the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n

By contrast, the student says that it was the security guard who first laid hands on him. \u201cI won\u2019t deny the fact that I swore at him \u2013 but I didn\u2019t threaten him. I wasn\u2019t afraid of walking the ledge, but when the security guard stopped me, I did become afraid I\u2019d fall. So I said to him: \u2018if I fall down now, I\u2019ve got nothing to hold on to except you, and then we\u2019ll go down together.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Frozen<\/h2>

Whatever was said exactly, it evidently disturbed the security guard to such an extent that his colleagues saw him freeze and eventually take a step aside. \u201cI have a family and kids I want to get home to. This wasn\u2019t worth it\u201d, the security guard explained the next day. The remaining three activists then also left the grounds via the ledge and fled.<\/p>\n

The security guard has now requested an appointment with the police to report the incident.<\/p>\n

Both the security guard and the activist wish to remain anonymous. Their names are known to the editors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t

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