UU community sympathises with protesters' goals, but worries about violence and harsh tone

The protesters were barely visible when they started gathering in front of UU's building at Janskerkhof 15a on May 15. Their slogans and chants ricocheted off the walls of the recently renovated building, now properly isolated. Inside, Law students were having classes or quietly consulting their law books. A teacher who took a peek outside said that he hadn't heard about any classes being cancelled or students missing work groups to protest. 

A couple of hours later, a similar "split screen" scene happened on the other side of the square. Despite the pouring rain, dozens of students supported a small group of occupiers wearing face coverings and barricading the building's entrance. Another small group waved a Palestinian flag from the first floor. Members of the fraternity USC, easily identifiable by their suits, watched the scene unfold as Hofman Café customers continued to sip their drinks.

Two employees of the Faculty of Humanities were also watching from a distance. They had to finish their working day early because all university buildings in the vicinity of Janskerkhof were closed due to the occupation. They underscored that more students sympathise with the protests than one might assume based on the number of activists present there that day. 

Revised statement
Although protests continued to happen in other university cities across the Netherlands, Utrecht was calm last week. The university administration has published a revised version of the statement about the conflict in Gaza and divulged an updated list of collaborations with Israeli institutions. Additionally, a commission is set to investigate which of those partnerships should be terminated. Protesting students and employees have already announced that they consider these measures insufficient. The university warns that the rules for protests still apply, which means that occupying buildings without the university's permission is not allowed.

How does the rest of the UU community feel about all this? That's a hard question, but DUB attempted to answer it anyway.

Protesters gathering at the courtyard of the university library on March 8. Photo: DUB

Stuck with them
A quick tour of the city centre library and the Educatorium building reveals that many students understand the protesters' demands (namely the end of the war, the termination of all partnerships between UU and Israeli universities, and a U-turn in the university's decision to remain neutral regarding the conflict) and support them to a greater or lesser extent. 

Those students also comprehend that protesters need to push the boundaries sometimes, but the images of vandalism at the University of Amsterdam stuck with them and influenced their opinions. DUB ran into law students who were about to have an exam at the Educatorium. Some of them found it hard to express an opinion on the spot: they were either not sure what to think or did not believe they were sufficiently knowledgeable about the situation to say anything. 

Only one of them says they have read a lot about the conflict. "The reason for the protests is lost from view due to the way they are protesting, and that's a shame," she says. "You can make yourself heard, of course, but when you occupy buildings, damage them, and annoy other students, people miss the point. If you do that, you shouldn't be surprised when they call the riot police to kick you out."

Two students of Natural Sciences & Innovation appreciate that students are making themselves heard and they understand why they are "pushing boundaries". However, they also see why university administrators would ask the police to clear the buildings, based on the images they saw from Amsterdam. "If you're ripping tiles off the floor and destroying windows and TVs, that's bad," one of them says. The other student agrees. "But I should note that I don't know how things went here in Utrecht. I heard that the intervention of the riot police was pretty intense."

A few minutes later, a Law student tells us that most of her friends support the protests. "Some of them don't go to McDonald's or Starbucks anymore because those companies support Israel." The "excessive violence" used by the riot police is what caught her eye in the images she saw on TV and social media, but she does not dare say whether or not she considers occupations a legitimate way to protest. "I know that university buildings have been occupied in the past for other causes, but I haven't looked into it enough." 

A bit scary
The students we ran into at the Educatorium did not feel the need to participate in the protests. "I've never done anything like that," a Law student tells us. At the university library in the city centre, however, DUB did encounter students who took part in the demonstrations. They consider it strange that "a university would choose to remain neutral regarding a state that commits genocide." Although they sympathise with the occupations, they opted not to join them. "That's a bit scary."

Two international students enrolled in the Media & Culture programme not only support the protests, but they also believe that occupying university buildings is a legitimate way to protest. However, they too chose to stay out of it. The students are surprised by the negative media coverage and they don't care for the university's e-mails either. "It looks like the university is panicking, but maybe that's a good sign."

No one was bothered by the forced closure of the university library or the other buildings. However, two students of Economics & Business Economics who were studying at the library say they do not care much about the protests. "I think they have destroyed more things than they have won," one of them says, adding that he lives close to UvA. "Now they are being portrayed in the media as vandals, so they didn't do themselves any favours." Even so, he believes that the university should listen to the students and change its position regarding the war. "But I guess you're not prepared to do that if the university is in ruins."

Disapproval
A rather diffuse picture emerges from this small sample. Students are supportive of the protesters, but they also understand the university's decision to clear the buildings. This diffuse picture matches the results of a survey conducted by Ipsos I&O (available in Dutch only, Ed.). Although the average Dutch citizen disapproves of the student protests, young people are much more likely to support them. Forty percent of respondents aged 24 and under approve of the demonstrations, but the same proportion of young people also agree with the police intervention.

The survey also shows that left-wing parties tend to be much more divided about this issue compared to right-wing parties, where a majority disagrees with the protests. 

DUB has also asked its Instagram followers to share their opinions in a poll that stood online for a whole day. The sample is a lot less representative, but the results are similar. About 45 percent of respondents say they approve the protests, while 40 percent think that occupying buildings is a step too far. A little over 14 percent of respondents oppose the demonstrations completely.

Furthermore, activists have started a petition against the university's decision to call the riot police. It has gathered 261 signatures so far.

The twelve student members of the University Council are equally concerned about the matter. They are still struggling with which position to take.

Wrong side
These past few weeks, several members of UU's faculty have expressed their support to protesting students. On May 13, for example, many employees walked out of their posts to gather alongside students in front of the Administration Building. In March, a group of teachers disrupted the university's anniversary celebrations.

Various parties have sent messages to DUB complimenting it for its coverage of the protests and occupations. However, they advised the editors to investigate what other teachers think as well. After all, they might not be pleased with how pro-Palestine colleagues and students have been expressing themselves. 

Some teachers tell us that polarisation has reached unprecedented levels in some places. They say the very fact that they prefer to remain anonymous in this article is telling. The risk of being "associated with the wrong side" is high. These faculty members have a hard time with the "black-and-white" position of their protesting colleagues, who, according to them, leave no room for debate or nuance. According to one of these teachers, there is a considerable group of students, teachers and other staff who feel intimidated by the activists, "such as students who feel pressured to defend certain points of view or sign petitions they don't actually support."

Tone it down
The teachers who prefer to remain anonymous don't understand how people can stand behind students and staff members who commit vandalism or are violent against the police. They are also outraged by the harsh and threatening tone often used when referring to the members of the Executive Board. "How will this affect our trust in each other and the university as a work and learning environment?" one of them wonders.

One of the teachers is shocked by the argument that UU's administration is complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. "They could tone it down a little bit. Everyone is thunderstruck by what is going on, not only in the Netherlands but in Israel as well. But the problem is complex and so is the solution, unfortunately. I would expect more nuance from academics. Besides, it is quite something to accuse the Executive Board of contributing to genocide. It looks like there is a lot of aggression and very little shame. And when people push back, literally, the world is too small and mummies and daddies end up writing op-eds for DUB." 

They are flabbergasted by the lack of an academic debate about what is going on in the international landscape and how it influences the university. According to them, attempts to establish a dialogue among colleagues have failed because the teachers who insist that the university should take a stance say they do not feel safe to do so. In their view, this leads to a vicious circle, as others start to feel unsafe as well. "The university is partly to blame for this 'activism' by wanting to stand at the centre of the society," the same teacher says. "I think the university should reflect the society, most of all. And feed the society with knowledge, from a certain distance."

Unjustified criticism
UU philosopher Floris van den Berg is one of the few Dutch academics who oppose the protests in the media. He was interviewed by several outlets, including Nieuwsuur. He also wrote an op-ed for the newspaper Telegraaf, in which he urged faculty members to distance themselves from protests that end up in occupations and vandalism.

Van den Berg is one of the members of the DUB panel, a group of students and employees who we regularly invite to share their opinions on university-related matters. Looking to get an overview of what the UU community thinks about the protests, we asked the members of our panel to share their thoughts about the recent protests. Even though Van den Berg received threats and negative comments following his statements, he didn't hesitate to respond substantially to our question. Other members of the panel, however, were too hesitant to speak out.

Van den Berg is of the view that protesting students should stick to the rules. "This means not occupying buildings, not disturbing classes and certainly not damaging anything." Additionally, he calls the criticism against UU President Anton Pijpers – who, in his opinion, had "reasonable grounds" to put an end to the occupations – a "moral category mistake". Van den Berg: "Universities are not the enemy. Marching and protesting in front of the Israeli embassy would make much more sense."

The environmental philosopher is worried about what he perceives as an anti-Israel sentiment in the protests. In some cases, he also identifies a pro-Hamas inclination. He worries about the "moral right" the activists claim and echoes his colleagues calling for more academic reflection and discussion. "These demonstrations have polarised universities unnecessarily and they don't achieve anything constructive."

Master's student Sterre van Wierst, also a member of the DUB panel, deems the university's guidelines for protesting "clear and reasonable." She acknowledges that most protests are peaceful, but things sometimes get out of hand – for example, when people who are not related to the university participate in the protests too or when protestors defend radical ideas regarding what constitutes a demonstration, leading to occupations and vandalism. "Freedom of assembly should be protected, but there are limits."

Given the recent rulings of the International Court of Justice, Van Wierst believes that UU must take a look in the mirror. She thinks that UU "should" investigate its partnerships with Israel and consider the possibility of putting an end to some or all of them.

Experimenting
Two Humanities scholars in our panel expressed their unequivocal support for the protesting students. Philosopher Brandt van der Gaast is one of them: "As a teacher, I leave my opinions about the conflict out the door when I enter the classroom. But, as an employee, I share the concern about the institutional ties to Israeli institutions. There was a boycott against South African universities during Apartheid as well. Besides, I believe that students should be able to demonstrate. The university should be a space where students can experiment with moral stances without immediately being called upon by the police. Universities must also partly consist of free zones with frayed edges."

Career orientation coordinator Bé Mijland ponders: "It's great that students and employees feel co-responsible for UU and the world. That's to their credit. But Anton Pijpers' decision to call the riot police is indigestible, he knew how things would escalate. The images shared on the Instagram page @encampment.uu were shocking. People have been asking the university to reconsider its partnerships with Israeli institutions for years. The following guideline seems self-evident to me: if there is even an appearance of colonial violence and genocide, UU must ask itself if it desires to contribute to it."