The nationwide action was both a call to cut university ties with Israeli research institutions and a protest against the recent police violence at occupied universities in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
The first participants in the walkout – which was organised by Leiden Scholars for Palestine, among others – gather in the halls of the Lipsius and Wijnhaven buildings shortly before eleven o'clock.
At eleven, they make their way outside. In Leiden, the group comes to a halt at Cleveringaplaats, chanting loudly: ‘DISCLOSE! DIVEST! WE WILL NOT STOP, WE WILL NOT REST!’ In The Hague, the demonstrators stop in front of the entrance to the faculty building. The demonstrators, some draped in Palestinian flags, shout: ‘LU, YOU CAN’T HIDE! STOP SUPPORTING GENOCIDE!’
SOLIDARITY
‘We’re showing solidarity with the students of UvA and UU and condemn the police violence that took place last week’, two demonstrators shout from a bench near Cleveringaplaats. One of them is wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh. ‘We want the university to cut ties with Israeli research institutions, and call for solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. It seems like the university cares more about stuff than human lives.’
At the Wijnhaven building, student Ghali, who was involved in previous Students for Palestine actions, climbs onto a planter carrying a megaphone. He urges those present to remain active even after the walkout: ‘If you want us to succeed, if you want our university to be an ethical university that doesn’t benefit from genocide, you must be ready to do what we have to at any moment in the coming weeks.’
The protest is also a topic of conversation at the University Council meeting held at the Academy Building just before the action. Council member Victor van der Horst of student party PBMS says he is ‘not a fan of these kinds of protests’. ‘But people are free to do it. Everything is allowed, as long as it’s within the law. Discussion is always a good thing and the University Council is the most important place for that. That’s the Leiden way. While I’d also like to go for a walk outside, we have to get to work here.’
Ultimately, Ebrar Kaya of student party SC is the only Council member to leave the closed part of the University Council meeting early at 10.50 and walk towards Lipsius. He thinks it is ‘a shame’ that none of the others came with him. ‘You can also choose to stay in the meeting. I think it’s important to show solidarity with the victims of police violence and speak out against the policies of university boards.’
NOT VERY REBELLIOUS
Although no action has been organised at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FSW), students and lecturers also walk out there. At two minutes past 11, six people are standing outside and in the next 15 minutes, more join, mostly anthropologists.
‘It was shared in the group chat’, says a third-year bachelor's student. ‘But we had lectures, so we couldn’t make it to Lipsius by 11.’ Her classmate adds: ‘The impact is greater when everyone walks out at the same time, but our lecturer also said we could leave at 11, so it didn’t feel very rebellious.’
Among the group are also several lecturers who interrupted their own lectures to participate in the walkout. When the group numbers about 20, they decide to walk towards Rapenburg together. ‘It’s not about where we’re standing,’ says assistant professor Willem. ‘It’s more about showing our presence.’
Meanwhile, the demonstrators at Lipsius have moved to the Academy Building, where they observe two minutes of silence in memory of the victims of the war in Gaza, raising their fingers in the peace sign. The demonstrators in The Hague have a moment of silence as well. But when the silence is over, they continue chanting: ‘LEIDEN SCHANDE, BLOED AAN JE HANDEN! [Leiden shame, blood on your hands]’
The participants in the demonstration are hopeful that something will change. ‘They’ll have to respond, and I hope they will take action too’, says an employee of one of the support services. ‘We are on the right side of history here, surely the university wants to be too?’ A lecturer at LUCAS also thinks the Executive Board will give in: ‘Nobody wants to study at a university that doesn’t listen to its students.’
SENT AWAY
The Leiden group continues towards the University offices. As the demonstrators approach the building, an employee hastily locks the entrance gate. From the direction of het Steenschuur, a lone counter-demonstrator approaches and is quickly sent away by the police. ‘I shouted: “Long live Israel”’.
At around half past eleven, the Leiden demonstrators call it a day and head back towards Lipsius. Much to the disappointment of the group of students and lecturers who have arrived from FSW. Halfway down Rapenburg, they realise they are too late and turn back. ‘We’re heading back’, says lecturer Willem. ‘But there was already a group of anthropologists there, so we’re still well represented.’
In The Hague, the demonstrators continue for another half hour. By twelve o’clock, many are hoarse from shouting. Ghali hopes the Executive Board will listen to the demands. ‘If not, we will protest again.’
Simultaneously, students and staff in several other university cities are also taking action. In addition to the walkouts, students in Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Groningen and Maastricht have set up camps.
Student party Students’ Collective (SC) wants Leiden University to suspend its ties with organisations that violate human rights.
This is evident from questions submitted to the Board by SC. The party explicitly refers to Leiden University’s partnerships with Israeli universities, organisations and companies.
Two staff council members had already made the same call back in February. The Board did not accede to this at the time, saying that there were only two student exchange programmes with Israeli universities.
Furthermore, the Board said a university-wide investigation would be carried out to find out whether Dutch universities would suspend ties with Israel. However, it was later revealed that university umbrella organisation UNL was not conducting such an investigation at all.
‘As revealed by Mare’s investigation, the answer given by the Board at the time to Council members’ questions was highly inadequate’, according to the party.
That investigation revealed that Leiden collaborates extensively with Israeli universities, institutions and companies within the EU funding programme Horizon Europe. One of the programmes is the European Glocal Counter-Terrorism project, which includes the Israeli private university Reichman, as well as its consultancy arm: the company Counter-Terrorism Solutions Ltd (CTS).
‘This company translates experience in suppressing Palestinians into consultancy for the military industry,’ said Itaï Van de Wal, a legal specialist at the European Legal Support Center who helps human rights organisation The Rights Forum with a request filed under the Open Government Act (Woo request) concerning the ties of Dutch universities with Israeli universities, organisations and companies.
Leiden has ties ‘with private organisations that structurally violate human rights and profit from the oppression of Palestinians’, SC concludes. ‘Is the Board willing to terminate those collaborations and ties with organisations that violate human rights? And if not, does the Board accept its complicity in any human rights violations?’
In addition, SC wants the Board to put together a committee to ‘assess all the university's collaborations for compliance with human rights’. That committee would then also investigate the Israeli ties.
The Executive Board will answer the questions at the University Council meeting on 27 May.