The protests in the universities against the war in Gaza spread to Europe.

Translated by Irene Cecchi

Along with American universities, the protests against Israel spread to European ones too. Students are asking their campuses to stop collaborating with Israeli universities and participate in the protests. In the last few weeks, also students in European universities organized protests against the war in the Gaza Strip.

In countries like France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain, students created camps inside or in front of their campuses. Their demands are like the ones coming from the States: they are asking their universities to take a stand on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and, depending on the country, also to investigate and close the relationships with Israeli universities and organizations.

In France, the main demonstrations took place in Paris, at Sciences Po. The university partially welcomed the students’ demands, including the one of suspending every disciplinary action against those who are demonstrating.

In these days, the most discussed ones were the protests in the Netherlands, in particular, at Amsterdam University where the students organized a sit-in; they also built a barricade to keep the police away using furniture and bricks from the pavement and they occupied several seats of the university.

In Italy, they set a camp in front of Bologna University and new demonstrations took place in Rome, at Sapienza University, where weeks before they met with the administration after some episodes of contestation. In other countries like Finland, Denmark and Austria, camps were set up in several universities.

While some countries repressed the protests, others offered their support. The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo declared to be in favor of the imposition of sanction against Israel and close to the protesting students that were occupying the Gand University at the moment.

In Ireland, an historical ally of the Palestinian cause, the administration of the prestigious Trinity College in Dublin declared to be supportive of the student’s horror regarding what is happening in Gaza. Moreover, the same university started a disinvestment process of funds in those companies which operate in occupied Palestinian territories and that are included in the UN list of companies working in Israeli colonies in the West Bank.

According to the Guardian, protests took place in 14 British universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. In the latter, students set up a camp in the garden in front of the entrance while at Oxford more than 200 professors and personnel signed a solidarity letter supporting the students' engagement.

In Finland, members of the group “students for Palestine” organized a march and set up a camp in front of the headquarter of Helsinki University, asking for a stop of every relation with Israeli universities. In Denmark, students did the same at Copenhagen University.

In Spain, dozens of students spent more than a week in a pro-Palestine camp at Valencia University. Similar demonstrations were organized also at universities in Barcelona and in the Basque Country.

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