AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS — Students in the Netherlands and Belgium occupied parts of the universities of Amsterdam and Ghent on Monday to protest against Israel’s war against Hamas, joining international student protests inspired by those on US campuses.
At a campus of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) in downtown Amsterdam, hundreds of students set up camp, pitching dozens of tents, playing in drum circles, and barricading access with wooden pallets.
The students want UvA and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) to stop their partnerships with Israel.
In neighboring Belgium, some 100 students also occupied a part of Ghent’s university, UGent.
Footage shared on social media shows students surrounded by tents chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has to go” in one of UGent’s buildings.
Really I was arguing with the “anti-Israel” part, since I don’t think that’s merely interpreted as meaning you’re not in favour of Israeli policy. I was attempting to agree with the top of the thread’s implication that “anti-Israel” feels like it’s been used as a short step away from “antisemitic”, which Israel has a long history of using in the face of any criticism.