Students hold 'whistle protest' against education cuts

“Education is the backbone of a democratic society,” Professor Ingrid Robeyns, from the action group WOinActie, stated in her speech. “These austerity measures will not only affect the quality of education and research but also the rule of law itself.”

Robeyns painted a clear picture of the impact the budget cuts will have. “The Wilders government seems to assume the less critically educated citizens are, the better. This is a spiteful attack on the institutions of democracy and the rule of law, reflecting an authoritarian style of government that better suits their political vision,” she argued.

According to her, the budget cuts are not only unnecessary but also undesirable and illegitimate. “It is a deliberate choice to finance tax cuts for foreign shareholders by cutting back on education. This strikes the heart of our democracy.”

Luuk Bruinen, chair of the student union Vidius, also addressed the crowd. “Our voices have reached The Hague: the fine for late graduation seems to be off the table. But this is not yet a victory. The fight will continue as long as the austerity measures remain in place,” he stressed. His words were greeted with cheers when he called for action: “We will not accept them to betray our future in any way. Together, we will blow the whistle on this cabinet because we are the future and no one will hold us back!”

The protesters gather at Janskerkhof. Photo: Phine Hazelbag

Long-term process
Representatives of the General Education Union (AOb) were present because the union organised the protest. Board member Douwe van de Zweep emphasises that the protest is part of a national demonstration. Several universities across the country held whistle concerts today. "This policy is not only harmful to students and teachers but also to society and the economy as a whole. We will continue to protest until every single austerity measure is off the table," he stated. He emphasised that this will probably be a long-term process. "But it signals a widespread frustration: this must stop."

Hope for opposition parties
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will vote on the education budget, which could be decisive for the future higher education policy at the national level. The hope lies with the opposition, which continues to resist the measures and compromises that the "monster alliance" formed by parties CDA, ChristenUnie, SGP and JA21 are making with the coalition. This means that only some of the austerity measures have been abandoned as a result of the negotiations. They were still trying to reach a compromise yesterday. Centre-left party D66 was part of the alliance in the beginning but withdrew from it as it considered that the government was not going far enough. Robeyns concluded her argument as follows: "We hope that the opposition parties realise what they are contributing to."

Photo: Phine Hazelbag