May 6–7: First encampment, eviction, and second occupation On May 6, 2024
University of Amsterdam (UvA) students gathered to protest at Roeterseiland campus, demanding the university to disclose and cut off its ties with Israeli institutes and corporations. Later that night, a group of people in support of Israel sought out a confrontation with demonstrators at the encampment, throwing flares and fireworks at them. They were soon driven away by the demonstrators, while the police did not attempt to intervene. The demonstration went quiet as the night deepened. Most protestors at the encampment rested in tents. including a member of the
Provincial Council of Gelderland. At least one protester suffered head injuries, while a police officer got injured as well. Most people left the scene by 4:30 am. Around 4 pm, over a thousand people gathered at Roeterseiland campus of University of Amsterdam, condemning the reaction from the university to call on the police for the eviction of the encampment. , May 7 Later on, the protesting people marched along Weesperstraat and ended up at Oudemanhuispoort campus of University of Amsterdam. The demonstrators soon took over the buildings and set another encampment inside. Paving bricks, bicycle racks, desks, planks and other objects were removed by demonstrators to establish barricades, which blocked all essential paths to the encampment. A number of supporters stayed outside the barricades and echoed the chanting from demonstrators settling in the encampment. The encampment lasted throughout the night without interference from the police. Soon after, riot police broke into the encampment in the afternoon as barricades were demolished by bulldozers. Protestors inside the encampments were cornered and later on removed by the police. It was also reported by witnesses that some people got attacked by the police for no reason. The demonstration at Rokin continued for hours, and was ended as the police charged towards the protesting crowds. Some crowds were dispersed as being chased by police vans, batons and police dogs. A number of them ended up at
Rembrandtplein, where the demonstration slowly subsided. 36 people were arrested by the end of the night, while at least five police officers and at least two protesters were injured, though the specific number of injured protesters is unknown. On May 9, another protest was organised that again started at the Roeterseiland university campus of University of Amsterdam. Thousands of protestors went on to march through the city. Three protestors were arrested by the police. The university closed most of its buildings for the rest of the week.
May 13–17: Third and fourth occupations and evictions On May 13, after a national walk-out which was attended by approximately one thousand students and staff members, students occupied campus buildings at the University of Amsterdam. Police in riot gear subsequently ended the protests in Amsterdam after "chasing away hundreds" of people, and the university closed for two days after the renewed occupations on campus. The Amsterdam protest continued at
Oosterpark. The UvA filed
complaints against several protesters. One protester was arrested; a criminal investigation was ongoing to determine if more arrests would follow. A pro-Palestine protest march was planned to pass UvA campus buildings on May 15. However, as an event by
Booking.com was announced for this day, organisers decided to move the protest to the Booking.com headquarters. Although there were no demonstrations the next day, the entrance at the Roeterseiland campus was defaced with red paint. This also happened during the earlier demonstrations. On May 17, a group of protesters gathered at a UvA building to set up a new tent encampment there, which lasted about an hour and was ended after police in riot gear made their presence. The group of student protesters joined a different protest elsewhere in the city, with who they marched to the
Stopera, where they held a sit-in. This demonstration was ended by police in riot gear as well, resulting in at least one arrest.
May 18–29: Later protests On May 25, about a hundred people held a peaceful demonstration at a UvA building at the
Spui. Protesters spoke out against, among other things, Amsterdam mayor
Femke Halsema and the
American support for Israel. They went on to march through the Rokin,
Rembrandtplein, the and ended at , where a squatted building was declared the "University of Gaza", and named after
Shadia Abu Ghazaleh. A pro-Palestinian protest was held by UvA staff members on May 28. == See also ==