Police used batons on pro-Palestinian protesters at Utrecht University

Police in Utrecht used batons against pro-Palestinian demonstrators who blocked a city bus containing other protesters. The bus contained around 40 pro-Palestinian activists who occupied a building at Utrecht University (UU) earlier on Wednesday. They were removed from the building by the police on Wednesday evening.

Just after midnight, peace had returned near the university building, according to an ANP reporter.

Before using their batons, the police wanted protesters outside to move away or they would use force. When the protesters did not comply, police officers struck them with their batons.

The city bus containing the activists left. It was not clear where it went. At an earlier pro-Palestinian protest in Utrecht this month, dozens of demonstrators were taken in buses to Houten, where they were dropped off at the cell complex and then allowed to go home.

The demonstrators on the bus occupied a university building at the Janskerkhof for hours. About 150 sympathizers stood outside for a long time. Anton Pijpers, the chairman of the university’s executive board, was also on site for a short time. A university spokesperson previously said that he would like to talk to the demonstrators.

However, the demonstrators said there was no negotiating with the Executive Board. Their demands have been known for a long time, but the university is not acting on them, they argued.

All Utrecht University buildings in the city center will reopen on Thursday. Education in the occupied Janskerkhof 15a building has been moved to another location, the university said on Thursday.

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) locations will also reopen on Thursday after a two-day closure due to Gaza support protests. The Executive Board finds the risk of opening the doors again acceptable and attaches great importance to resuming education and research. The UvA does not rule out new protests and is closely monitoring developments.

While the UvA and UU locations are reopening, Erasmus University in Rotterdam (EUR) is closing for one day. All buildings on the Woudestein campus and the Erasmus University College will be closed to accommodate pro-Palestinian organizations, which announced protests there from 1:00 p.m. The EUR wants to prevent “Amsterdam scenes.”