Occupation of university building ended, UU buildings in city centre closed until Monday

Occupation of university building ended, UU buildings in city centre closed until Monday

Yesterday and last night, pro-Palestine demonstrations took place again, both at the Domplein and at one of our university buildings on the Drift. This building was later occupied. Utrecht University is responsible for everything that happens in its buildings. During the occupation of the building on the Drift, UU could not guarantee the safety of the protesters. Therefore, under the direction of the police, the building was evacuated around 1 am. As a precautionary measure, university buildings in the city centre will remain closed until Monday morning.

We understand that the events raise questions and cause concerns.We want our campus to be a safe place for all our students and employees, and the past few days it has not felt that way for everyone..

In conversation with the protesters

President Anton Pijpers of the Executive Board met with the protesters last night. They reiterated their demands regarding UU's position on the war in Israel and Gaza. Anton Pijpers: "We started a conversation with the protesters, but we are still searching for the right way to have this conversation. UU has over 40,000 students and around 9,000 employees with very different views, which we need to take into consideration. This is done through all the known representative bodies the university has."

Evacuation

UU is responsible for everything that happens in its buildings. During the occupation of the building on the Drift, the UU could not guarantee the safety of the protesters. Therefore, with police support, the protesters were ordered to leave the university building around 23.30 pm. Around 01.00 am, the building and its immediate surroundings were evacuated under police direction.

Closure of buildings in the city centre

The mayor and police in Utrecht have asked the university to take extra measures to protect the public order. Therefore, university buildings in the city centre - including the University Library and Parnassos - will remain closed until Monday morning as a precautionary measure.

Impact

"We are aware of the impact of the situation. Many of us feel affected. We would have liked things to be different, but we felt compelled to act in this way. We urge all UU students and staff to stay calm, avoid further escalation and continue to treat each other respectfully."

On behalf of the Executive Board,
Anton Pijpers

Updates

We will inform you via uu.nl. For updates, keep an eye on this page.

Interested to talk further? Or do you need help?

Utrecht University is committed to supporting everyone who is directly or indirectly affected by these events. We offer our students and employees support in this regard. If you are a student and are looking for information, advice or guidance, check the page Who to contact? to see who you can contact. Employees who are concerned can seek support from their manager and Staff Welfare Service (intranet, login required).