On May 6, 2024, pro-Palestinian protests broke out at the University of Amsterdam which quickly spread to other universities in the Randstad and the rest of the Netherlands. Although protests had been taking place as early as October 2023, which marks the start of the Gaza war, the protests intensified in May in the light of the Rafah offensive on May 6 and recent similar protests in the United States and elsewhere.
Background Escalation of protests
List of protests
Timeline Early protests An early protest occurred at Radboud University Nijmegen on 18 October, by students demanding the university cuts all ties with Israeli institutes. A teach-in was held at Leiden University on 9 November 2023. Student protesters demanding the university cut all ties with Israeli organisations protested at Delft University of Technology on 29 November 2023. Other demonstrations followed at Utrecht University in December 2023 and January 2024. Protests were also held at the campuses of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Maastricht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Tilburg University, and the University of Groningen. 17 arrests were made during four days of protests at the Amsterdam University College. It was noted, however, that most protests at university campuses in the Netherlands were peaceful and without police intervention.
Escalation
University of Amsterdam
On May 6, hundreds of students started a solidarity encampment at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The next day, police cleared the encampment, arresting 169 people. Over a thousand people protested at a pro-Palestine demonstration in Amsterdam in response. On May 8, new protests emerged in Amsterdam, starting in and around university buildings and later moving to the Rokin. 36 people were arrested by the end of the night. The following day, another protest was organised which again started at the Roeterseiland university campus of University of Amsterdam. Thousands of protesters went on to march through the city. Three protesters were arrested by the police. The UvA decided to close various campus buildings for the rest of the week.
On May 13, after a national walk-out, students occupied campus buildings at the University of Amsterdam. Police in riot gear subsequently ended the protests in Amsterdam after "chasing away hundreds" of people, and the university closed for two days after the renewed occupations on campus. The Amsterdam protest continued at Oosterpark. The UvA filed complaints against several protesters. One protester was arrested; a criminal investigation was ongoing to determine if more arrests would follow.
Radboud University Nijmegen
Utrecht University
On May 7, protests took place at Utrecht University. An encampment was attempted at the academic library of Utrecht, where 50 people were arrested in the night between May 7 and May 8.
On May 8, a new encampment at Utrecht University was set up, which was cleared during the early morning of 9 May. Three people, who were protesting outside the occupied building, were arrested during this protest. The university decided to close its buildings until Monday May 13. The next day, a smaller protest was also held around university buildings of Utrecht University.
University of Twente
On 24 May, protesters disrupted the Dies Natalis at the University of Twente, interrupting twice the secretary-general at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management's keynote speech. Subsequently, students and staff began a series of daily protest marches through the university.
On 12 June, activists occupied the Vleugel administration building, where the Executive Board offices are, in response to the "unproductive talks" with the Board. The occupation lasted for several hours, with protesters disbanding on their own.
On 2 September, during the opening of the academic year, protesters disrupted the keynote speech by Jos Benschop, vice-chairman of ASML, protesting the universities ties and ASML's alleged involvement in links to Israel. The protesters were physically removed by security.
Throughout the year, students from the university also organised and held a pro-Palestine demonstrations at Enschede railway station.
Protests at other universities On May 7, protests and in-campus encampments took place at the Delft University of Technology.
On May 13, approximately one thousand students and staff took part in a national walk-out. University buildings at the universities of Amsterdam and Groningen were also occupied. Protests, some of which taking place next to tent encampments, also took place at the campuses of Radboud University Nijmegen, Maastricht University, Eindhoven University of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Utrecht University, Leiden University (both in Leiden and The Hague), Erasmus University Rotterdam and Wageningen University & Research, as well as other campuses. An area at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Maastricht University was renamed "Rafah Garden".
On May 14, a protest was held at the University of Humanistic Studies. Students at the Eindhoven University of Technology held a cacerolazo during the European Innovation Debate, a debate between Dutch candidates for the 2024 European Parliament election. While there were no other renewed student protests on university campuses, several encampments from the day before were still standing, such as in Groningen, Maastricht and at Radboud University.
On May 15 a Utrecht University building was occupied by pro-Palestine protesters. The university decided to close various other buildings as precaution. Protesters were removed from the building in the early night by the police and 42 people were arrested. Also on May 15, six student activists from Maastricht University announced to be going into hunger strike until their demands were met. Students had been protesting at the university campus for three days by then.
As protests were announced for May 16, the Erasmus University Rotterdam decided earlier that week to close its buildings that day. The protest was moved to Rotterdam Centraal station. At the Campus The Hague of Leiden University, students occupied a floor. The occupation lasted a few hours. A few hundred students at Tilburg University held a peaceful protest march across campus.
On May 17, students protested at the Academiegebouw of Leiden University and set up a tent encampment. Two buildings were closed as a precaution. Students and staff members of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam held a protest at their university campus square. A sit-in was held at Wageningen University & Research and another protest was held at the University of Humanistic Studies.
While there were little to no renewed protests during the Pentecost weekend (a public holiday in the Netherlands), the tent encampments on the campuses of the universities of Groningen, Wageningen, Maastricht and at Radboud University were still standing by May 22.
A pro-Palestinian student protest was held during the lustrum celebration of the University of Groningen on May 21. The same day, an ultimatum from students and staff members to Tilburg University ended. If the university did not meet the protesters' demands, they would set up a tent encampment the next day. Student activist groups, as well as some other Palestinian solidarity groups, published a joint open letter in which they declare solidarity with each other, forming a "national coalition", and in which they reject any type of compromise with universities.
A university building of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University was occupied by students on May 22. The university filed complaints against activists who had defaced university buildings with graffiti over the weekend. During the evening hours, the occupation was ended and the activists abandoned the tent encampment. According to the protesters, this was done under the threat of mass arrests. The same day, an academic conference at Wageningen University & Research was disturbed repeatedly by pro-Palestinian protesters. A tent encampment was set up at Tilburg University, after an ultimatum had passed the day before.
On May 23, a small student protest was held at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The same day, an encampment was set up on the roof of the academic library of the Delft University of Technology. The protesters said to only leave when their demands would be met. In the late night, the remaining hunger strikers at Maastricht University ceased their strike, in part due to physical problems.
A protest march was held at Tilburg University on May 24. Both students and staff members joined the protest.
On May 27, 78 staff members of Tilburg University published an open letter to the Deans and Board of Tilburg University, calling for an academic boycott of Israeli universities and corporations that are complicit in apartheid, occupation, persecution of the Palestinian people, and the violation of international law. In the night between 27 and 28 May, several buildings at Maastricht University were graffitied on with pro-Palestinian slogans. Students at Wageningen University & Research also held multiple protests.
On May 28, a die-in was held at Tilburg University.
On May 30, a tent encampment was set up by students at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The encampment and protests lasted until 9 June when, after threat of intervention by riot police, the activists left voluntarily. The university said that it would not terminate any of the collaborations with Israeli institutes unless forced by the government. New protests were held at the academic library of Utrecht University.
On June 2, a pro-Palestinian student protest was held near buildings of Utrecht University.
On June 3, students at the Delft University of Technology attempted to occupy a building, which was prevented by police. Over 15 students were arrested. A tent encampment was set up at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
On June 4, students at Tilburg University attempted to occupy the rector magnificus' office. Students had been protesting for two weeks at that point, organizing multiple events and actions, which were increasingly escalating. A building of the Universiteiten van Nederland in The Hague was occupied that day also. All activists, a group consisting of about thirty people, were arrested by the police.
On June 5, a student protest was held at the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts, to which Tilburg University students were also invited. Protests were also held at Wageningen University & Research.
Response
Political response The protests were condemned by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as well as by various other high-ranking Dutch politicians. Mariëlle Paul, the Dutch Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, suggested several times that it is "very questionable" whether the "rioters are actually students".
An "emergency debate" was called on 10 May by the Government of Amsterdam in response to the police intervention earlier during the first protest on 6 May. Despite criticism, mayor Femke Halsema stood by her decision to let police intervene during the demonstration. Around 250 protesters demonstrated during the meeting outside the Stopera, where the meeting was held, dubbing this the "fifth day of student protests".
On 11 May, the "sixth day of protests", a pro-Palestine protest in Amsterdam attracted over 10,000 people. Many demonstrators denounced the police action earlier that week. Some protesters also called for Halsema to resign. On May 30, Halsema participated in a event, where she spoke with students of the University of Amsterdam, and where she again stood by her decisions. The response from participating students was predominantly negative.