Students chanting “Freedom for Palestine.” Posters in lecture halls denouncing a “genocide in Gaza.” Activists pitching their tents on campus.
In the USA, these images of universities in turmoil have been commonplace for weeks. But these latest scenes don’t take place on college campuses in New York or California. No, they come from London, Amsterdam, Valencia and, last but not least, Berlin.
Student protests against Israel’s actions in the Gaza war are currently spreading across Europe. Inspired by the demonstrations at American universities, students at various European universities have occupied lecture halls and facilities. They demand solidarity with the Palestinians and an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions. While the majority of protests have so far remained peaceful, demonstrations in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria have seen clashes with police.
The question that is already being hotly debated on the other side of the pond is also coming into focus at European universities: allow pro-Palestine protests – or intervene?
Protest camps at universities in Italy, Spain and Austria
In the Netherlands, police broke up a pro-Palestinian tent camp at the University of Amsterdam on Monday evening and arrested 169 people. Video footage showed officers beating activists with batons and destroying their tents after they refused to leave the campus. Police subsequently said on Platform X that the action was “necessary to restore order” after the protests turned violent.
In Paris, the police had to go to the renowned Sciences Po University twice on Tuesday to drive away around 20 students who had barricaded themselves in the main hall of the university. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, police intervened to give other students the opportunity to take their exams and arrested two people.
In Switzerland, protests spread to three universities in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday. The University of Lausanne said in a statement that it sees “no reason to break off relations with Israeli universities,” as the demonstrators are demanding. In Austria, dozens of students have been camping on the campus of the University of Vienna since Thursday evening, where they have set up tents and hung banners. Student activists also set up a protest camp over the weekend at the University of Bologna in Italy, one of the oldest in the world.
Similar protests also took place at universities in Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Spain and Great Britain.
Criticism after pro-Palestine protests at several German universities
After the protests at several German universities hit the headlines, public criticism in this country is increasing. On Tuesday, the Free University (FU) temporarily stopped operations because 150 activists occupied the courtyard. According to the university, activists tried to occupy rooms and lecture halls at the university and property was damaged. In the afternoon the area was cleared by the police, who also arrested several people. A similar operation took place in Leipzig. There, around 50 activists occupied the auditorium and inner courtyard. The police cleared the lecture hall in the evening and currently say there are 13 suspects.
Clear criticism of the pro-Palestinian protest actions comes from university associations, student representatives and the police. Universities are places of differentiated intellectual debates, the President of the German University Association, Lambert T. Koch, tells the German Press Agency. They are “not places for violent and out-of-control protests, like recently at the HU and now also at the FU Berlin.” Student associations also called for consistent action by the universities.
The background to the university protests that started in the USA is the war in the Gaza Strip that has been going on for seven months. After Hamas’s unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7, Israel responded with massive air strikes and launched a ground offensive. But the longer the war lasts and the more the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens, the more international criticism of Israel’s actions grows.
After the escalated protests in Amsterdam, the university said in a statement: “We share the anger and confusion about the war and understand that there are protests against it. We emphasize that dialogue about it within the university is the only answer.”
Sources:Guardian, Washington Post, APwith news agency DPA