UU Administration Building vandalised again and windows smashed

Early this morning, it was discovered that the Administration Building had been defaced and that several windows in the Van Lier and Eggink Rooms had been smashed. The building can be accessed via the rear entrance. Some workspaces on the ground floor, where the windows have been smashed, are unusable. These areas have also been cordoned off with red-and-white tape.

“This is vandalism,” said Hans Brug, chair of the university board. “Causing damage to a building anonymously convinces no one and is simply counterproductive. We therefore completely condemn this action and will be reporting it to the police.”

It is unclear who the perpetrators of the vandalism are, says the university. However, the action bears a strong resemblance to that of a group of autonomists who, on the night of 23 to 24 June last year, smashed windows and sprayed slogans in red paint on the Administration Building. This was in response to the ties that Utrecht University still maintains with Israeli universities with which it conducts research at a European level. The action was intended to persuade the university to sever all ties with Israel.

Smashed windows Van Lier en Egginkzaal, photo DUB

Some offices on the ground floor have been locked. The windows of the workspaces have been smashed. Photo: DUB