Anyone setting foot in the Elinor Ostrom Building today can’t miss it: the moment you enter, you’re hit by a sharp manure-like stench that stings your nostrils. The smell is strongest in the central hall but can be noticed even on the top floors of the building.

‘The odour was most likely caused by a smelly liquid that was poured onto the floor by an unknown individual,’ a university spokesperson said. The likely source of the smell was found around 14:00: on the first floor, security personnel and staff cordoned off part of the building. A firefighter in protective gear is currently working to clean the floor.

A spokesperson for the pro-Palestinian activist group Nijmegen Student Encampment stated that they were behind the action. The group said it was meant as a protest against the presence of BDO, an international consultancy and accounting firm that, according to the activists, collaborates with the Israeli military in the field of cybersecurity. The company hosted a workshop during the Radboud Career Day, an event organised by Radboud Career Services.

In a press release, the activist group also expressed criticism about the presence of Aeves Benefit on campus. According to the activists, the procurement consultancy firm works closely with the Dutch military and oil and gas giants such as Shell. The group also took issue with the presence of the firm Infor, which, according to the activists, conducts research into aviation and defence software ‘in a time of ecological disasters and Orwellian control by Big Tech.’ This, too, is a major concern for Nijmegen Student Encampment.

‘We couldn’t concentrate’

The stench has been lingering in the building since around 09:30 and is causing considerable disruption. One employee said he and his colleagues relocated to another part of the campus to work. ‘It smelled like vomit, it was unbearable. We couldn’t concentrate.’

To combat the smell, doors and windows have been thrown open. Air fresheners have also been installed, but they offer little relief—by the afternoon, the acidic stench still lingered throughout the building.

Event sees low attendance

The puddle of smelly liquid was found under one of the tables being used for a Radboud Career Services event. Students (and staff) could have their résumés checked and get professional photos taken. There were also company-led workshops. After the liquid was discovered, the career day was relocated further inside the building.

‘Unfortunately, very few students are coming by because of the smell,” said coordinator Wencke Kieft. ‘We’ve been organising these kinds of days for years—never have we seen so few attendees.’

She, along with the university spokesperson, was not yet able to provide a substantive response this afternoon to the news that the protest was specifically aimed at the career day.

As far as is known, no one has fallen ill from the odour.