Defence minister Ruben Brekelmans managed to address University of Amsterdam (UvA) students from the ‘Room for Discussion’ (!) society for a full 15 minutes on Wednesday before thuggish pro-Palestine protesters succeeded in bringing the event to a halt.
Reports in Dutch papers lead on the fact that activists outside the event hall “made noise and banged on the windows,” chanting “free free Palestine” over what they described as the minister’s “war propaganda.” But their attempts to silence Brekelmans and prevent students from asking him important questions appear to have been far more serious.
UvA chair Edith Hooge said that the group—made up of both students and staff members—physically attacked security guards and “intimidated” event attendees. It is strange, then, that police “came to look” but did not intervene, as per Dutch daily Het Parool’s write-up. Hooge said that she took the interference “very seriously” and will file a complaint with the police.
It is of course worth noting that if the nation’s defence minister, with all his security, feels pressured to leave the capital’s principal university because of such provocation, pro-Israeli—and even simply Jewish—students there must regularly feel under duress.
UvA has form when it comes to anti-Israeli intimidation, having had to cancel all classes for two days last year because of violent clashes between Gaza activists and riot police on its grounds.
Party for Freedom (PVV) official René de Vries said that in order to “protect freedom of speech and stop the violence of these people,” students and staff involved in this demonstration (and others) should be handed a “one-way ticket out of the UvA.”
Instant dismissal!
Dutch officials could, perhaps, follow the lead of US president Donald Trump, who last Wednesday signed an executive order to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, declaring:
To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: … we will find you, and we will deport you.
After being escorted away from the UvA event by security guards, minister Brekelmans engaged in another conversation with the ‘Room for Discussion’ group behind closed (and more closely watched) doors, which will soon be posted on YouTube.
