Hundreds of Univ. of Amsterdam staff & students put off by pro-Palestinian protests

Several hundred employees and students at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have signed a petition distancing themselves from pro-Palestinian demonstrators who are trying to force the university to cut ties with Israeli government offices, businesses, and academic institutions. In a reference to the demonstrators, who have on several occasions attempted a takeover of a UvA building, the petion stated, “The occupiers claim to speak on behalf of the students and employees, but they do not represent us.”

The petition was published in the opinions section of Folia, the student publication from the University of Amsterdam. About 350 UvA staff members signed the petition using their full name, as did dozens of students. The people who signed the petition said that they support “peaceful demonstrations condemning both Hamas and Israeli army violence.”

They also think that the UvA administration is not responsible for the violence that occurred during those demonstrations. They advocate for “de-escalation and a debate that takes into account all parties involved.”

The Central Student Council, which represents the university students, disagrees. They are demanding the Board's resignation, and think that the UvA administration should apologize for the “excessive violence” with which demonstrating students were met when police were called in to evacuate squatted buildings and sections of campus.

There were many researchers and teachers present at the large pro-Palestine protests who said that the university should break ties with institutions in Israel, which they believe are partly responsible for “genocide, apartheid, and exploitation.”

The Central Works Council did not support the student council’s message but is advocating for an investigation into the events that occurred during the demonstrations. The Works Council, which represents employees, said last week that it is important “to know how the situation was able to escalate like this for the last few weeks.”