– Zaina Aman
Groningen, Netherlands, May 22: Students at the University of Groningen (RUG) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment near the campus, aligning with nationwide student protests. The demonstrators are calling on the university to boycott and divest from institutions complicit in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians and to disclose its existing collaborations with these entities.
In recent developments, riot police were dispatched to the Universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht by their respective authorities to dismantle similar protests. These interventions led to violent altercations, resulting in injuries to several students. The exact number of those injured or detained remains unknown. Reports indicate that authorities used aggressive tactics, including deploying a bulldozer to break up the demonstrations.
At RUG, the encampment has entered its eighth day. Organizers have emphasized that as long as the protests remain peaceful, there is no immediate threat of eviction. The encampment has become a center of various activities, including poster-making, poetry sessions, crochet and Arabic chant workshops, and discussions on topics ranging from protestor rights to Middle Eastern politics.
On May 17th, staff members from RUG joined the students in a show of solidarity with the movement.
In response to the encampment, RUG authorities released a statement expressing their willingness to engage in dialogue with the protesters while also voicing concern over the protesters’ apparent reluctance to engage. However, organizers have refuted this claim in a separate press release. They assert that the encampment is the result of months of peaceful demonstrations and negotiations with the University Board, during which the Board has failed to provide sufficient details about the University’s connections with Israel, implicating them in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
The situation continues to evolve as both sides remain at an impasse over the university’s actions and affiliations.
