Protesters and police at the second UCM entrance
The police arrive at UCM
This is the first time that police have been deployed against pro-Palestinian protesters at Maastricht University. During a previous occupation of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences last year, police were on standby but did not intervene, as the protesters left voluntarily. At that time, the activists were known and had communicated with the university, says UM spokesperson Koen Augustijn.
This time, neither police nor university knows whether the occupiers are students, making it impossible for UM to take disciplinary action, according to the spokesperson. UCM remained closed Wednesday. All locks are being replaced and the building is being inspected for damage. Which, at first glance, appears to be minimal – “little to none”, says Augustijn.
Wednesday, June 11, 9:00 a.m.: The University Council is being briefed behind closed doors by the executive board about the events of last night. UCM remains closed today, and access to the administrative building on Minderbroedersberg is only permitted with a UM card.
Update 9.30 p.m.: On their Instagram page, Maastricht4Palestine reports that the arrested protesters have been released.
Update 8.00 p.m.: The police have ended the occupation and arrested fifteen activists. They were taken away in a large coach bus.
Update 7.10 p.m.: The police appear to be preparing to enter the building.
Update 7.00 p.m.: Protesters have also gathered on Heksenstraat, where there is a second entrance to the UCM premises. Police are present there as well.
Update 6.45 p.m.: The police arrive with several vans at UCM. Through loudspeakers, they call on the people in the building to leave or they will be "arrested for trespassing."
Update 6.30 p.m.: The occupiers must leave UCM "immediately and without further delay", Jan-Tjitte Meindersma, Vice-President of the executive board, exclaimed by loudspeaker from the street around 6.30 p.m. He pointed out that the activists were guilty of "unlawful entry and stay, which is punishable".
Update 6.00 p.m.: Talks between the occupiers and the Executive Building are underway. The university wants the group to leave and not spend the night in the building, UM spokesman Koen Augustijn said.
Tuesday morning, June 10, 9 a.m. The doors and windows of the historic building on Zwingelput are locked. Posters are stuck to the windows with messages like “Maastricht University has blood on its hands” and “Maastricht University’s financial ties with Israel make it complicit in the killings of Palestinians.” A large banner hangs prominently at the front: “Halimy faculty occupied for Palestine. Cut the ties now!”
The name Halimy refers to Medo Halimy, a young Palestinian social media personality who shared his life in Gaza on TikTok. He was severely injured in an Israeli airstrike last August and died, according to Maastricht.encampment and Maastricht 4 Palestine in an Instagram post. “Medo would be 20 years old, had his life not been cut short by the violent zionist entity Israel.” The fact that the university has not taken action makes it “directly responsible for the murder of more and more of our peers.”
Outside, a few students stop to take photos and move on. Rumors are circulating that the protesters stole a ‘master key’, a key granting access to all doors in the building, from a cleaning staff member early this morning. University spokesperson Koen Augustijn says he has no knowledge of this. How the protesters obtained the keys remains unclear. No (other) students or staff are currently in the building, “everyone left this morning,” says Augustijn. Classes have been relocated to other university buildings in the city center. It doesn’t affect large numbers, as most UCM students have already completed their coursework.
Regarding the demands: a special committee is currently investigating the collaborations with Israeli institutions. An advisory report is expected after the summer break, as announced last week on UMployee. On Instagram, the protesters say they no longer accept “promises for the future.” They want the ties to be cut immediately.
After the occupation of FASoS last year, the Executive Board of UM decided to freeze existing administrative relations with institutions in the Middle East conflict zone and not enter into new collaborations. But activists feel that is insufficient.