Following pro-Palestnian protests across US universities, similar student protests demanding that universities sever ties with Israel over the Gaza war have spread across Europe, sparking clashes and arrests as new demonstrations broke out in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria, The Guardian said in its recent report.
Students at various European universities, inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses, have been occupying halls and facilities, demanding an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions because of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
According to reports, Dutch police said 169 people had been arrested on Monday evening when they broke up an encampment at the University of Amsterdam. Police were filmed baton-charging protesters and smashing up their tents after they refused to leave the campus.
In Germany, the local news agency “ANP” said that bout 50 demonstrators were also protesting on Tuesday outside the library in Utrecht University and a few dozen at the Delft University of Technology.
At Sorbonne University in Paris, 86 people were arrested on Tuesday night for offences that included wilful damage, intrusion in an education establishment and disrupting order, French prosecutors said.
In Switzerland, protests on Tuesday spread to three universities in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich, news outlets said, adding that the University of Lausanne said it “considers that there is no reason to cease these relations” with Israeli universities, as protesters were demanding”.
Since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October 7 2023, nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 80,000 injured. Additionally, thousands of houses and humanitarian facilities have been destroyed, leaving 1.9 million internally displaced people.
