The occupiers of the Radboud campus were asked by the Executive Board to leave no later than 6 p.m., according to the spokesperson of the activist group. But: ’If they want us to leave, they have to come here and force us to.’

Radboud University’s Executive Board has asked the protestors to leave the campus by 18:00. The activists, however, have no intention of doing that, they announced shortly after the negotiations at around 17:00. ‘If they want us to leave, they have to come here and force us to,’ addressed spokesperson Ties the crowd at the camp-in. ‘We’re militant.’

Speaking for Nijmegen for Palestine, the philosophy student asked fellow protestors to call on their friends and acquaintances to also join them on campus.

Ties let the protestors know that the demonstration in Nijmegen had broken a record: no other protest across the country was asked by the authorities to leave quicker than the one at Radboud. ‘We’re setting an example. We have been very peaceful. What does that say about the board if they call on the police as a response?’

From the crowd, someone called: ‘Then they are the terrorists!’

Fighting for Palestine

According to Ties, the protestors won’t be silenced and will continue to fight for the Palestinian cause. They will not leave before their three demands are met: cut all ties with Israel, condemn the war in Gaza, and support Palestinian students and academics.

His announcement was met by collective chanting of: ‘Radboud, Radboud you can’t hide. Stop supporting genocide.’

Rector José Sanders had showed up among the protestors at the camp shortly before the announcement. Right before the deadline, it is not yet clear how the Executive Board will respond to the new developments.