Students and staff protest again to oppose police intervention in yesterday's demonstration

The group UU Scholars and Staff for Palestine opposes the university's decision to ask the police to clear the city centre library's courtyard, which was occupied by pro-Palestine activists yesterday. They were planning on spending the night there. In a statement, the group writes that the demonstration was the result of a fruitless series of pleas for the Executive Board to reconsider its "neutral" position regarding the conflict. The collective wants the university to sever all ties with Israel, but UU is adamant about its neutrality, as reiterated in an email sent to all students and employees this morning.

The protesters are angry that the university's president didn't want to talk to the entire group yesterday. Student Raha, a spokesperson for the action group Utrecht in Solidarity with Palestine (USP) says that that was not a democratic choice. "If you want to represent a university, then you should talk to everybody, not just a small group."

According to her, yesterday's occupation is a consequence of the board's passivity. "We are not asking for anything ludicrous," she says.

Another protest will be held today, in front of the Utrecht University Building, at Dom Square, at 4:00 pm. This time, the aim is to show the Executive Board that the police shouldn't be welcome on university grounds when students are carrying out a peaceful protest. Speeches will be held at 6:00 pm.

(This article is set to be updated)