Amsterdam Univ. expects "enormous damage amount" after latest Gaza support protest

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) expects the repairs of damages caused by pro-Palestine protesters who occupied the Maagdenhuis on Monday to cost an “enormous” amount, a spokesperson for the university told NOS. The police put an end to the occupation on Monday afternoon, arresting between 10 and 15 protesters.

On Monday morning, the activist group Amsterdam Student Encampment occupied the Maagdenhuis, the UvA’s administrative complex. They again demanded that the UvA break all ties with Israeli universities in light of the continued devastating Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. About 100 demonstrators raised the Palestinian flag and hung banners from the windows. They also set off torches in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

The police ended the occupation on Monday afternoon. The riot police entered the building and started removing protesters one by one amid loud cheers from demonstrators in front of the building. The activists were taken away by bus. After the occupation ended, the demonstrators who had gathered outside the Maagdenhuis entered another UvA building. The police drove them out.

There were several confrontations between the police and protesters during the demonstration. The police also used batons.

According to a UvA spokesperson, the demonstrators caused “enormous damage” in the Maagdenhuis. They looted part of the canteen and defaced multiple walls, the spokesperson told NOS. “They were inside for a few hours, and when you see what has been done, I am shocked.”

A spokesperson for the Amsterdam mayor, police, and prosecutor told the broadcaster that protesters broke into offices in the Maagdenhuis, disabled cameras, and barricaded emergency doors. “A police officer was also hit in the face with an as yet unknown corrosive substance, which resulted in minor injuries,” the spokesperson said.

Amsterdam Student Encampment released a statement saying that they did not cause “any unnecessary damage” to the building or personal belongings. According to the activists, they only added something “to the rich history of the building” with the graffiti on the walls.

The protest was sparked by the UvA wanting to restore ties with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The UvA recently ended that cooperation after advice from the university’s ethics committee. The UvA still works with other Isreali institutions.

Radboud University in Nijmegen was also recently advised to cut ties with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv University. The Nijmegen university’s ethics committee concluded that these Isreali instittuions contribute to “serious and systematic human rights violations” in the Palestinian territories.

Pro-Palestine activists also protested at Radboud University on Monday, occupying a footbridge between two university buildings. They, too, demanded that their university sever all ties with Israeli institutions.