Amsterdam University closes for two days after violent protests over Gaza
Police clash with demonstrators during a protest at the University of Amsterdam, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 13, 2024, as seen in this screen grab taken from a video. - REUTERS
AMSTERDAM: The University of Amsterdam on Monday said it would remain closed for two days after police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at one of its campuses earlier on the day.
The university's board said it had cancelled all classes on Tuesday and Wednesday and would close all buildings as it said it could not guarantee safety for those on campus.
The university has been the scene of violent clashes between protesters and riot police three times in the past week, as activists who demand that the university cuts all ties with Israeli institutions blocked and occupied campuses.
Monday's protest started as a walk out by university staff and students in response to the violent end to an occupation of a university building on Wednesday.
The university's board said this protest had been peaceful until a group of masked outsiders joined the original group and started blocking entrances and emergency exits, and caused serious damage to the building and its library.
In a post on social media site X, Amsterdam police said the university had filed a police report against the protesters for acts of vandalism.
Students across the Netherlands have been protesting against Israel's war in Gaza since last Monday, in mostly peaceful actions that have largely ended without police interference outside Amsterdam.
These actions mirror those of students in the United States and elsewhere in Europe, calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for schools to cut financial ties with companies they say are profiting from the oppression of Palestinians.
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