{"id":159560,"date":"2023-10-06T14:28:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T12:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=159560"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:00","slug":"a-solemn-minute-of-silence-one-week-after-the-shooting-at-erasmus-mc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/10\/06\/a-solemn-minute-of-silence-one-week-after-the-shooting-at-erasmus-mc\/","title":{"rendered":"A solemn minute of silence, one week after the shooting at Erasmus MC"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday afternoon, students and members of staff at Erasmus MC and the Woudestein campus took part in a moment of silence to commemorate the shooting at the Faculty of Medicine exactly one week ago.<\/p>\n

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Medicine student Noor de Wijs recites her poem at the commemoration.<\/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\tEgied Simons<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Hundreds of people gathered in the atrium of Erasmus MC on Thursday afternoon to commemorate the shocking events that took place exactly one week ago. Surrounded by flowers and a sea of people, Joke Boonstra, the vice chair of the Executive Board of Erasmus MC, led the memorial service.<\/p>\n

She reflected on the death of the three victims who were killed last Thursday and on the traumatic incident that had affected students and staff at Erasmus MC. \u201cOur dear and cheerful colleague was murdered while teaching a class. Students, some of whom are just starting out, have seen things no one should ever have to encounter. And all those horrific events took place at our Erasmus MC: a place that is supposed to be a safe place for patients, staff and students. What followed was disbelief, dismay and sadness. But we have also seen a deep sense of solidarity in our community, as well as a powerful need to hold on to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

A poem about feeling safe<\/h2>

After Boonstra\u2019s speech, Lluisa Paredes, a Master\u2019s student at Codarts, performed a piece on the cello. The music reverberated through the atrium of Erasmus MC and triggered the emotions of those present. A patient on an IV standing in front of the podium wiped away her tears, with behind her a lecturer who had attempted to guide students to safety at the learning centre last Thursday. The man was brought to tears again, finding support from those around him.<\/p>\n

Halfway through the piece, medical student Noor de Wijs recited a poem she wrote about the incident.\u00a0Her poem<\/a>\u00a0was widely circulated on social media last week. \u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep on Thursday night. That\u2019s when I wrote the poem, to get that day out of my head\u201d, she said after the service. \u201cI was on holiday in Hawaii with my family this past summer; we were forced to flee the forest fires. After that shock, all I wanted was to feel safe and at home again. The EMC has felt like home for the past three years. Some weeks, I\u2019m there more often than I am at my actual home. That feeling of security is gone now \u2013 that\u2019s what the poem is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Noor's poem is placed near the flowers at Erasmus MC.<\/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\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Silence<\/h2>

At 14.29 p.m. exactly, musician Hans de Munnik stood up and sounded the trumpet, followed by silence. This was exactly one week after that horrific moment when the much-beloved lecturer Jurgen Damen was killed. Many in the crowd were in tears, with occasionally audible sobs.\u00a0Colleagues held hands, put their heads on each other\u2019s shoulders and embraced one another. Others stood with their hands folded, their gaze fixed on the ground or at the immense Duna. At 14.31, the piercing sound of the trumpet once again sounded across the atrium. Every now and then, a smile broke across people\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s shooting was likewise commemorated at the Woudestein campus. In the presence of Rector Magnificus Annelien Bredenoord and Ellen van Schoten, the vice president of the Executive Board, a group of over twenty university staff members held a minute\u2019s silence at 14.30. The Executive Board had requested that lectures be suspended for the memorial. Carillonneur Mathieu Polak then played the carillon.<\/p>\n

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Employees hold a minute of silence at the Erasmus statue in the Erasmus Building.<\/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\tKim Casamitjana<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

After the ceremony, Van Schoten looked back on the past week, where Thursday afternoon suddenly descended into crisis mode following the news of the shooting at Erasmus MC. For a brief time, there were fears that the Woudestein campus might likewise become a target, but that belief was quickly dispelled. The university subsequently offered practical assistance in the form of additional student psychologists and making teaching spaces available where necessary.<\/p>\n

Resilience<\/h2>

Last Thursday, Bredenoord was at a conference for all the universities in the Netherlands when she heard the news about the shooting. \u201cThe bizarre thing is that Queen M\u00e1xima had spoken about the well-being of students and the need for open communication on the issue that very morning. When I heard the news, I immediately got in a taxi and drove back to Rotterdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rector is impressed by the resilience and solidarity between the university and Erasmus MC. \u201cIt\u2019s truly wonderful to see everyone supporting one another.\u201d She also believes it is vital to emphasise that the university is an open institution \u2013 and that it will remain so. \u201cIt\u2019s our job to ensure that the fear dissipates and that everyone once again feels safe. What happened is such an extreme case. It\u2019s not something we can protect ourselves against.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Living Room is also set to be open during the open day this Saturday, and student hosts will be on hand who will be able to respond to any questions about the shooting.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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