Statement in support of the student encampment

We, core team members of the Contesting Governance Platform at Utrecht University, express our solidarity with the student encampment in the Drift Library courtyard advocating for the university to sever institutional ties with Israeli institutions complicit in systematic violations of Palestinian rights. We join the encampment's call and we welcome the students' commitment to participating in the political life of the university and their imaginative repurposing of academic spaces.

As a platform committed to critical inquiry, social justice, and human rights, we categorically oppose the recourse to police and the latter’s use of violence against peaceful demonstrations. We recall with deep concern previous instances of police brutality against student protesters at our university, and we strongly urge the university administration to respect the rights of students to peaceful assembly and expression.

We commend the students for creating an open, vibrant space that fosters dialogue, critical discussions, and meaningful activities about Palestine at a time when the university administration has been making such important conversations difficult. We commit to participate in these activities and we warmly invite our colleagues, students, and the broader university community to visit and engage with the encampment, support its activities, and join the crucial conversations happening there.

We call upon Utrecht University to seriously listen to the students' demands and take tangible steps toward aligning its institutional partnerships with principles of human rights and justice, two pillars of the ‘open society’ to which we strive to contribute.

Undersigned by: Fabio Cristiano, Alessandra Spadaro, Thijs Jeursen, Veronika Nagy, Katharine Fortin, Jessica Dorsey, and Hayal Akarsu.

This statement has been issued by the core team members of the Contesting Governance Platform and may not necessarily reflect the views of all its platform members.