Fact-finding on timeline surrounding protests and occupations of May 7 and 8

Fact-finding on timeline surrounding protests and occupations of May 7 and 8

On Tuesday, May 7, staff and students have demonstrated, followed by an occupation of the courtyard of the University Library on the Drift. On Wednesday, May 8, a protest and occupation of Drift 25 followed. Both occupations have been ended by the police. Within our community, this has led to questions about the role of the university, the police deployment, and incidents that allegedly would have taken place during this process. The Executive Board has therefore commissioned an independent fact-finding investigation into the protests.

The purpose of the investigation is to reconstruct a factual timeline of events, to gain a better understanding of what happened when and where. The investigation will include the actions of protesters, the university administration, city government and the police. The resulting timeline can be used to engage in further conversations regarding this topic, and to analyze what other lessons the university can learn from this. The purpose of this investigation is not to identify protesters nor to impose sanctions against individuals.

Research methodology

The research will be conducted by the Global Justice Investigations Lab (GJIL). GJIL trains students to conduct open-source research, in order to contribute to the global justice work of civil society partners. The research methodology consists of analyzing social media posts from the days in question. Footage from security cameras will also be included in the research.

The research group will not 'analyze' what happened, but focuses exclusively on a 'description' of the actions of protesting employees and students, the police and other involved parties. The notes taken as part of the research are anonymous. The research report will therefore not include the names of individuals. It is possible, in certain cases, to link to publicly shared messages on social media.

To keep the study in line with the GDPR rules, several measures are taken. Please see the privacy statement for more information (English translation of the privacy statement will be available soon).

The results of the survey are expected to be shared at the beginning of the new academic year.

Verder praten? Of heb je hulp nodig?

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).