Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Student protests at American Universities are increasingly spreading to Europe. In Belgium, the students at Ghent University were the first and have also been acquiring support from professors since Monday. Students are now also managing actions at KU Leuven and the University of Antwerp.
How are students at KU Leuven protesting against collaborations with Israeli universities?
At KU Leuven, about seventy students set up tents in the De Valk College Building on Monday morning. That building was an interesting location for the activists because it is located in the centre of the city, and therefore there is great visibility of the action. The tents are stored in the entrance hall of the building but do not block entrances to auditoriums or passages to classrooms. Planned lessons can therefore take place as planned.
What demands are the activists making?
With their occupation, the students want to protest against the collaborations that their alma mater has with several Israeli universities. “We had a meeting with the rectorate last week,” says doctoral researcher Niels De Ridder. “Those discussions have been going on for some time, but have still not yielded any results. That is why we have decided to proceed with the occupation.”
KU Leuven reiterated its position last week, saying that it does not automatically want to equate Israeli institutions with its government, but the students are not impressed by this.
“These universities are financially supported by the Israeli state and supply technology to the Israeli army,” says De Ridder. “It is also known that those universities ideologically support the Israeli army. Therefore, we find it unacceptable to continue working with them.” The students want to continue occupying the building until KU Leuven cancels its projects with Israeli universities. “We will remain as long as there is no meaningful action to end the partnerships. We have no end date in sight,” says De Ridder.
Are campaigners at Ghent University now also receiving support from Professors?
At Ghent University, the 300 students who have occupied part of the university since last week are continuing their action. Since Monday morning, they have also received support from about sixty professors, doctoral students and staff members. The activists of Ghent Students For Palestine demand that the university come up with an action plan to cut all ties with Israeli institutions.
What demands are the activists at Ghent University making?
The activists complain that there is still little response from the top of the university. They ask Rector Rik Van de Walle to contact them to organize a meeting. “Although the rector himself says that openness and debate are very important, he still does not enter into dialogue with us, students,” they said in a statement. “Nearly 35,000 people have been murdered. Where is concrete action?”, the students wonder.
Students in Antwerp are also planning a peaceful occupation, mainly demanding an academic boycott against Israeli universities. “We keep the occupation for two reasons,” it sounds. “On the one hand, out of solidarity with the victims of the genocide in Palestine and with students who are being violently attacked in other countries. On the other hand, because after seven months the University of Antwerp has still not taken a position, shown solidarity, or cancelled collaborations with problematic universities in Israel.”
What concerns do the students raise regarding ties with Israeli universities?
As an example, the young people point to the “problematic ties” between the Faculty of Social Sciences in Antwerp and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Research is being conducted there into state regulation. In other words: how a country can introduce stricter rules and at the same time increase the confidence of the population in the state.”
The students indicate that they entered into a dialogue with rector Herman Van Goethem at the end of last year. The students were promised more transparency about the collaborations that the UA has with Israeli universities. “But he has not kept that promise to date. That is why we are now occupying the campus,” he said. The activists would communicate during the day when they will take action.
