03:28Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Netherlands' University of Utrecht on Wednesday to voice their support for the Palestinian people and condemn their university for allegedly 'calling police on [them]' during their demonstrations.
Footage shows protesters marching with banners and Palestinian flags while chanting 'Viva, viva Intifada,' 'We are all Palestinians!' and 'People united will never be defeated!' Some can also be seen vandalising the school's buildings with spray paint.
"We've been occupying buildings, but each time we try something, the university keeps calling the police on us," one protester said.
"The police immediately, the same night or the same day, evicts us and it does so very brutally and very violently. People have been pepper sprayed, beaten with police truncheons," he continued.
Student solidarity demonstrations for Palestinians in Gaza, including on-campus encampments and building occupations, have surged across the US and then European university campuses with students demanding divestment from Israeli-affiliated businesses and academic institutions.
"We have been trying with the executive board of Utrecht University to make a public meeting accessible to all Utrecht University students and staff to discuss our demands for an academic boycott but they have refused to do so," said another protester, Carlijn.
"That's why we have been demonstrating today again," she added. "We had a march from Jaarbeursplein to the Drift here as we want to. We continue to strive for an academic boycott of Israeli universities also when we come back in autumn."
Fighting continues in Gaza after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 37,718 people had been killed and more than 86,377 injured, at the time of publication.
The IDF claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
'University keeps calling police on us' - Palestine supporters in Utrecht allege 'brutality' and 'violence' during demos
Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Netherlands' University of Utrecht on Wednesday to voice their support for the Palestinian people and condemn their university for allegedly 'calling police on [them]' during their demonstrations.
Footage shows protesters marching with banners and Palestinian flags while chanting 'Viva, viva Intifada,' 'We are all Palestinians!' and 'People united will never be defeated!' Some can also be seen vandalising the school's buildings with spray paint.
"We've been occupying buildings, but each time we try something, the university keeps calling the police on us," one protester said.
"The police immediately, the same night or the same day, evicts us and it does so very brutally and very violently. People have been pepper sprayed, beaten with police truncheons," he continued.
Student solidarity demonstrations for Palestinians in Gaza, including on-campus encampments and building occupations, have surged across the US and then European university campuses with students demanding divestment from Israeli-affiliated businesses and academic institutions.
"We have been trying with the executive board of Utrecht University to make a public meeting accessible to all Utrecht University students and staff to discuss our demands for an academic boycott but they have refused to do so," said another protester, Carlijn.
"That's why we have been demonstrating today again," she added. "We had a march from Jaarbeursplein to the Drift here as we want to. We continue to strive for an academic boycott of Israeli universities also when we come back in autumn."
Fighting continues in Gaza after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 37,718 people had been killed and more than 86,377 injured, at the time of publication.
The IDF claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Netherlands' University of Utrecht on Wednesday to voice their support for the Palestinian people and condemn their university for allegedly 'calling police on [them]' during their demonstrations.
Footage shows protesters marching with banners and Palestinian flags while chanting 'Viva, viva Intifada,' 'We are all Palestinians!' and 'People united will never be defeated!' Some can also be seen vandalising the school's buildings with spray paint.
"We've been occupying buildings, but each time we try something, the university keeps calling the police on us," one protester said.
"The police immediately, the same night or the same day, evicts us and it does so very brutally and very violently. People have been pepper sprayed, beaten with police truncheons," he continued.
Student solidarity demonstrations for Palestinians in Gaza, including on-campus encampments and building occupations, have surged across the US and then European university campuses with students demanding divestment from Israeli-affiliated businesses and academic institutions.
"We have been trying with the executive board of Utrecht University to make a public meeting accessible to all Utrecht University students and staff to discuss our demands for an academic boycott but they have refused to do so," said another protester, Carlijn.
"That's why we have been demonstrating today again," she added. "We had a march from Jaarbeursplein to the Drift here as we want to. We continue to strive for an academic boycott of Israeli universities also when we come back in autumn."
Fighting continues in Gaza after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 37,718 people had been killed and more than 86,377 injured, at the time of publication.
The IDF claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.