Police break up University of Amsterdam climate protest, 30 arrested

The police arrested 30 people while breaking up a climate protest in a building belonging to the University of Amsterdam. Dozens of climate activists occupied the building on Monday afternoon. Among other things, they demanded that the university break ties with Shell. The police cleared out the building on Turfdragersterpad by a little after 11:00 p.m.

The riot police started removing activists from the building shortly after 8:30 p.m. People were arrested inside and outside of the former Academic Club, a police spokesperson said. “If people demonstrate at the building and we cannot work safely, we sometimes have to ask them to leave. If they don’t, they can be arrested.” The police will release more details about the arrests on Tuesday.

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The activists are suspected of trespassing, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said. “That is why it has been decided to clear them out.” A spokesperson for the activists previously reported that “dozens” of protesters had holed up in the building.

Earlier in the day, a representative for the university’s Executive Board went to speak with the activists. The Executive Board made clear that the University of Amsterdam does not allow this type of occupancy protests. Because the activists did not immediately agree to leave, the university filed a report of trespassing with the police.