Protest camps like those in the USA and many other countries can now also be found at German universities. The example of the Free University of Berlin shows how difficult it is to deal with this.
It started weeks ago in the USA. Pro-Palestinian groups have set up protest camps against Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip at more than 100 American universities. Since then, a wave seems to be going around the world. Tent cities and angry demonstrators at colleges in Bangladesh and Australia, in Spain and Britain, in France and Finland, in the Netherlands and Denmark. And now also in Germany.
In the past few days there have not only been turbulent scenes at universities in Berlin and Leipzig. The University of Bremen also had a camp cleared. In Cologne there are tents on a meadow at the university, in Hamburg there is a vigil. Things remained quiet at other universities for the time being, but Jena and Weimar are also keeping a close eye on possible actions. And the dilemma is everywhere: Is this about legitimate expression of opinion or anti-Semitic propaganda? Compassion for the people of Gaza or pure hatred of Israel? And how can Jewish and non-Jewish young people study together in such a heated atmosphere? Because it’s not likely to end any time soon.
Criticism of the FU from all sides
The debate after the evacuation of a protest camp at the Free University of Berlin on Tuesday shows that those responsible can hardly do anything right in such a situation. The management of the FU reacted quickly when a few dozen people with Palestine scarves and banners streamed into a courtyard of the university in the morning and began to set up tents. At 10 a.m., someone responsible called the police, and at 12:20 p.m. the university applied for evacuation.
She received praise from the Berlin Senate and the Central Council of Jews for her quick intervention. However, Central Council President Josef Schuster criticized the university for not commenting on the content of the protest, which clearly had a “fanatical character”. The criticism from the other side was even more bitter. Around 100 lecturers from several Berlin universities opposed the eviction: “We call on the Berlin university management to refrain from police operations against their own students and from further criminal prosecution.” For this, the lecturers received outrage, including from Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP).
Students, for their part, started a petition for the resignation of FU President Günter Ziegler. Social networks spread images of a very robust approach by some police officers. The police themselves reported on Wednesday that 79 people had been temporarily arrested, 49 of whom were women and 30 men, and that there were 80 criminal investigations and 79 administrative offenses.
“Extremely charged atmosphere”
Students who had nothing to do with the protest and just wanted to go to the library or the cafeteria as usual describe the hours of occupation, eviction, pro-Palestinian demonstration and a pro-Israel counter-demonstration as a drastic experience. It was an “extremely charged atmosphere,” says a student in a voice message. “If the situation were to escalate, it could be really dangerous.” She expressed surprise that a man wearing a yarmulke who was on the pro-Palestinian side was also taken away.
Another student said: “It was really frightening.” A third eyewitness says it was terrible to be simply excluded from your own university as an uninvolved person. The police intervened massively and the reactions on campus were very emotional, frustrated, sad and angry. She expects further protests. “I believe that there is more to come,” says the 23-year-old.
According to their own statements, all three young women did not hear any anti-Semitic slogans during the demonstrations. The university defended its actions with exactly this: “It is clear that there were anti-Semitic, discriminatory statements during yesterday’s protests, but also calls for violence,” explained a spokesman.
For many, what is and is not legitimate criticism of Israel is a very shaky red line. Central Council President Schuster also says: “I can certainly understand if someone protests against the suffering of civilians in Gaza. I am also thinking of these people who are used as protective shields by Hamas. But it must be clear that the reason for their suffering is terror “Such a protest cannot be based on fantasies of annihilation against Israel.”
Tension field similar everywhere
The tension is similar in other countries. The Anti-Defamation League, a non-governmental organization based in New York, monitors pro-Palestinian protests around the globe, but especially in the United States. “There are legitimate forms of protest if they are peaceful and legal,” says Vice President Marina Rosenberg of the German Press Agency. But in many cases that is not the case. “Many of the activists are not students at all,” says Rosenberg. These “professional anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activists” brought slogans to campus, some of which glorified terrorism and violence. This in turn creates an atmosphere of fear. “We are extremely concerned about Jewish students worldwide,” says Rosenberg.
In Australia, the University of Sydney has tolerated a student camp in front of the university building for almost three weeks. A spokesman recently said that no violations related to anti-Semitism had been identified. However, the vice president of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Zac Morris, emphasized that Jewish university employees and students feel increasingly threatened. Many are afraid and therefore miss lectures. “They are being filmed, followed, intimidated,” he said.
Jewish students in Germany also have similar fears, especially at the Free University of Berlin, after one of them was beaten until he was hospitalized by a pro-Palestinian fellow student in February. Afterwards there were expressions of solidarity under the motto “Fridays for Israel”. However, the political tension remained and the conflict remained unresolved. With the impulse from the USA, the protest is taking a new form.
Place of controversy
Protest researcher Jannis Grimm, himself a lecturer at the FU, believes that universities have to endure conflicts of opinion. “Bringing the police onto campus is no small thing,” says Grimm. “A majority doesn’t have to approve of the protest. What we think of the content doesn’t matter. It’s important that these protests can take place. This also applies to the counter-protests. The university must remain a place of controversy, where the controversy will not be stopped by the police.”
This is what the University of Vienna is currently doing, where young people have also set up tents. There are also banners like “Israel is murdering, the EU is joining in”. The University of Vienna has distanced itself from the concerns of the protesters, as has the university’s student body. But the police see no reason to disperse it for the time being. There was no criminal conduct and there was no threat to public safety, it said.