Occupiers leave Janskerkhof building voluntarily

The protesters occupying Janskerkhof 15a left the building voluntarily at 8:00 am this Wednesday, after UU President Anton Pijpers issued a second order to vacate the premises at 7:00 am. Such an order is a necessary step to have the authorities remove the occupiers from the property. After the second order, the activists announced that they would leave voluntarily. ‘We are glad that the police didn't have to intervene this time,’ said UU spokesperson Iris Kruijer.

About forty activists occupied the building on Tuesday afternoon. They were surprised that it wasn't cleared that same evening, and they were allowed to spend the night there. In previous protests, the activists always said that they would only leave the building when their demands were met, including the interruption of all ties with Israel. "We weren't sure what would happen all night long. And then, in the early morning, we suddenly got the demand to leave. That's when you know that police violence is next. And we knew that, in the early morning, people couldn't support us or see us. It's better to keep fighting at another time,‘ said Itaï, spokesperson for Student Encampment.

The university is now cleaning up the building. According to the spokesperson, the activists left a lot of mess behind. A door has been boarded up. ’Our people are now assessing the damage and cleaning everything up. No lectures will be held here today," informed Kruijen. 

The building after the protestors left. Photo: UU

The building and its surroundings were peaceful on Tuesday evening. Around a hundred activists sat on the steps and in the square in front of the building. They drank tea, held cardboard signs, and held lively discussions about the situation in Gaza.

According to a spokesperson for Utrecht University, the university was in touch with the activists since the afternoon. These conversations were peaceful. The situation in the building also looked safe. No doors had been barricaded, for example.

That's why UU was willing to allow the twenty to thirty occupiers who were there in the afternoon to spend the night in the building, as long as they met some strict conditions, such as granting access to security staff at all times. The university also wanted to ensure that no people would enter the building after 6:00 pm, its official closing time. The deadline was later extended to 8:00 pm. UU security guards were tasked with enforcing this rule.

The occupiers wanted to follow the same guidelines used a few weeks earlier, during the overnight stays in the library courtyard. At the time, people were allowed to enter until midnight. ‘Many people had not expected to be able to stay overnight, so some had to make arrangements and collect their belongings. The doors would close at midnight, and no more people would be allowed in,’ explains Itaï.

At 8:00 pm, UU was informed that the activists had rejected their conditions. The university then indicated that it would report the trespassing to the police. ‘We have done our utmost to allow them to stay overnight under certain conditions. However, we are responsible for everyone's safety, which we could no longer guarantee under these circumstances,’ said spokesperson Iris Kruijen.

However, silence followed. For a possible eviction, the owner, i.e. the university, must claim the building, but UU did not do so by 10:00 pm. The three police officers standing on the square with a police car were told that they could leave. They could not say whether other officers would come.

The police response was a matter of debate after previous occupations, which may have been why the mayor decided not to intervene this time. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with her. The mayor's spokesperson was unavailable for comment.

At 10:00 pm, the activists were uncertain about how the evening would unfold. ‘Perhaps we will be allowed to stay this time,’ said some of the occupiers, sounding somewhat surprised.