Pro-Palestinian Protests Sweep European Universities: Tents, Arrests, and Calls for Academic Boycotts
On Tuesday, German authorities disrupted a pro-Palestinian protest at Berlin's Free University.
Around 500 activists had set up tents and formed a human chain, covering their faces with masks and keffiyeh scarves.
They called for academic ties with Israel to be severed due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Police requested the protesters to leave the campus via loudspeakers, leading to scuffles and the use of pepper spray against some demonstrators.
Over 20 people were reportedly taken away by the police.
This incident marks the latest in a series of protests on European campuses inspired by the unrest in the US.
In Leipzig, Germany, around 50 pro-Palestinian protesters set up tents on Leipzig University's campus and occupied a lecture hall.
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dutch police disbanded a similar pro-Palestinian demonstration camp at the University of Amsterdam, resulting in approximately 140 arrests, with two individuals still in custody for suspected public violence.
Amsterdam police acted to "restore order" after the protests became violent, leading to clashes between officers and protesters, resulting in the destruction of barricades and tents.
No immediate reports of injuries were made.
Protesters at the University of Vienna in Austria formed barricades and set up tents for a second day, protesting against Israel's actions towards Palestinians.
The university and the main Austrian Students Union distanced themselves from the protest, with the union claiming antisemitic groups were involved.
Similar protests have occurred at over a dozen universities in Britain, calling for full disclosure of investments, academic ties cuts, and divestment from Israeli businesses.
Police monitored the Austrian protest, which was near a memorial for Austrian Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
The protesters denied the presence of antisemitic groups.
Students at King's College, Cambridge University, and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, as well as the Universities of Helsinki in Finland and Copenhagen in Denmark, have established solidarity encampments to protest against their institutions' ties with Israeli universities.
The protesters argue that the universities' profits should not come at the expense of Palestinian lives and accuse them of whitewashing Israeli crimes.
Over 200 academics at Oxford have signed an open letter supporting the protests.
Students in Finland plan to stay until the University of Helsinki cuts academic ties, while those in Denmark have erected about 45 tents at the University of Copenhagen.
Students at the University of Bologna in Italy, as well as in Rome, Naples, Spain's University of Valencia, Barcelona, and the Basque Country, have set up tent encampments to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza.
The universities have allowed the protests but have asked students to follow campus rules.
Students in Italy and Spain have been protesting for over a week, with more protests planned in Madrid.
In Paris, students at the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) held solidarity gatherings for Palestinians on Tuesday, following previous protests in support of Palestinians that resulted in police removal of students from the campus on Friday.
Despite the past tensions, students were able to enter the campus unhindered on Tuesday to take exams, with police present but maintaining peace.
They called for academic ties with Israel to be severed due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Police requested the protesters to leave the campus via loudspeakers, leading to scuffles and the use of pepper spray against some demonstrators.
Over 20 people were reportedly taken away by the police.
This incident marks the latest in a series of protests on European campuses inspired by the unrest in the US.
In Leipzig, Germany, around 50 pro-Palestinian protesters set up tents on Leipzig University's campus and occupied a lecture hall.
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dutch police disbanded a similar pro-Palestinian demonstration camp at the University of Amsterdam, resulting in approximately 140 arrests, with two individuals still in custody for suspected public violence.
Amsterdam police acted to "restore order" after the protests became violent, leading to clashes between officers and protesters, resulting in the destruction of barricades and tents.
No immediate reports of injuries were made.
Protesters at the University of Vienna in Austria formed barricades and set up tents for a second day, protesting against Israel's actions towards Palestinians.
The university and the main Austrian Students Union distanced themselves from the protest, with the union claiming antisemitic groups were involved.
Similar protests have occurred at over a dozen universities in Britain, calling for full disclosure of investments, academic ties cuts, and divestment from Israeli businesses.
Police monitored the Austrian protest, which was near a memorial for Austrian Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
The protesters denied the presence of antisemitic groups.
Students at King's College, Cambridge University, and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, as well as the Universities of Helsinki in Finland and Copenhagen in Denmark, have established solidarity encampments to protest against their institutions' ties with Israeli universities.
The protesters argue that the universities' profits should not come at the expense of Palestinian lives and accuse them of whitewashing Israeli crimes.
Over 200 academics at Oxford have signed an open letter supporting the protests.
Students in Finland plan to stay until the University of Helsinki cuts academic ties, while those in Denmark have erected about 45 tents at the University of Copenhagen.
Students at the University of Bologna in Italy, as well as in Rome, Naples, Spain's University of Valencia, Barcelona, and the Basque Country, have set up tent encampments to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza.
The universities have allowed the protests but have asked students to follow campus rules.
Students in Italy and Spain have been protesting for over a week, with more protests planned in Madrid.
In Paris, students at the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) held solidarity gatherings for Palestinians on Tuesday, following previous protests in support of Palestinians that resulted in police removal of students from the campus on Friday.
Despite the past tensions, students were able to enter the campus unhindered on Tuesday to take exams, with police present but maintaining peace.
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Translated by AI
