Drift 13 cleared after occupation by pro-Palestinian activists (Updated)

This is the second time the building has been occupied by pro-Palestine protesters. It houses the Utrecht Data School and other organisations. Last year, activists took over the building during an information day for prospective students, but the riot police cleared it that same evening. It is unclear how the protesters gained access to the building this time.

Last Friday, UU announced that it would not start any collaborations with Israeli partners for the present. In addition, an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Health and a student exchange contract with the University of Haifa have been terminated.

However, this is not enough for the pro-Palestinian movement, which says that 'UU is basically saying the same thing it said last year, which is that current ties will not be severed. That's why we have decided to escalate,’ in the words of a spokesperson.

In the University Council meeting yesterday afternoon, UU President Anton Pijpers called the situation ‘unfortunate.’ In recent days, he had been positive about the ‘encampment’ in the courtyard of the University Library. Several dozen activists have been sleeping in tents there for a week and a half.

The people occupying the courtyard have been complying with the agreements made with the university to ensure everyone is safe and that students and staff can continue to use the library. According to Pijpers, the new occupation makes matters ‘complicated’.

University Council member Saban Caliskan expressed his disappointment with the revised policy. He believes it is “too little, too late” and that the university is basically keeping its old policy. The council member also said he was speaking on behalf of a considerable part of the council. “We are asking for a clear statement indicating that what Israel is doing is unjustifiable.”

The UU rector, Wilco Hazeleger, said he shared many of the feelings expressed by the council members. However, he disagrees that the steps taken by UU are not significant. According to him, a new attitude is evidenced by the fact that the university publicly talks about ‘genocidal violence’ now, which wasn't the case before. 

UPDATE 5:30 pm

The university has closed off the courtyard of the University Library. The activists say that they left voluntarily to join others in the building on Drift. At 5:20 pm, the building was reclaimed by Anton Pijpers. A spokesperson for UU explains that the university finds the occupation of the building unacceptable. Security guards could patrol the courtyard, but they didn't get access to the building on Drift, which increased the security risk. The occupation of the building also caused more of a nuisance as lectures could not go on. 

UPDATE 9:30 pm
The police violently dispersed the pro-Palestinian demonstrators standing in front of the entrance of Drift 13, and cleared the building at around 8:00 pm. It took another hour for the police to proceed with the arrests. Some people left voluntarily, while others had to be carried away. Then, they were taken away in city buses. The last demonstrator was carried out of the building at 9:20 pm. According to the police, 46 arrests have been made. A few hundred demonstrators remained protesting around the city bus.

UPDATE 21.30

De politie verdrijft met geweld pro-Palestinademonstranten die voor de ingang van de Drift 13 staan. Rond 20.00 vordert de politie het pand. Het duurt nog een uur voordat de politie daadwerkelijk overgaat op de arrestaties. Een deel loopt vrijwillig mee, anderen moeten worden weggetild. Ze worden in stadsbussen afgevoerd. Om 21:20 wordt de laatste demonstrant uit het gebouw weggedragen. Volgens de politie zijn er 46 aanhoudingen gedaan. Een paar honderd demonstranten protesteren bij de stadsbus.