New (short) demonstration and tent on bridge

Déjà vu on the campus: A tent was pitched on the bridge near Forum around noon. The pro-Palestine activists, among whom familiar faces from last year, reiterate their demands. And WUR stays firm in its position. The tent has since been removed.

A Palestinian flag, a green tent and protesters handing out flyers with the text ‘We will never leave’. Pro-Palestine protesters made themselves heard in Wageningen once again yesterday afternoon. Their presence came as a surprise, as the situation in Gaza has changed: the ceasefire seems to hold, and Palestinians are returning to Northern Gaza. Matijn, spokesperson for the protestors, states that the protestors’ main demand remains unchanged, ‘Israel continues to annex territories on the West Bank now. Our main demand, an academic boycott, remains unchanged. WUR must cease its collaboration with Israeli educational institutes. We want to show we are still here; the bridge is still ours.’

Lab worker and protestor Livio Carlucci stresses that the action is still needed. ‘The International Court has called in Israel to stop the war, and a special committee of Tilburg University conducted a study which showed that Israeli universities are linked to the violence in Gaze through the armed forces.’

Soup in Atlas

A delegation entered Atlas at around two in the afternoon with a pan of soup and informed spokesperson Vincent Koperdraat about an extra demand: again, a discussion with the executive board about the current situation in Gaza and WUR’s position. ‘WUR would do well to take the lead, as the most sustainable university, and cut ties with Israeli knowledge institutes’, said one of the activists.

Koperdraat told Resource that WUR’s position remains unchanged. ‘Let there be no mistake: the board is horrified at the situation in Gaza. But a complete academic boycott is out of the question.’

The activists have disassembled the tent and left. Matijn: ‘We have shown we are still present.’

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Education budget cuts largely unchanged

[Comment] Calm after the storm