Protesters take over office of Chair Wigboldus and eat his chocolates
-
Actievoerders dringen het kantoor van Daniël Wigboldus binnen. Foto: Johannes Fiebig
Protesters from the Pro-Palestine camp took over the office of the President of the Executive Board this afternoon. Daniël Wigboldus walked out, after which ten protesters stayed behind in his chambers.
They ate Wigboldus’ chocolates and took books off the shelves. One of the protesters read from Why people radicalize (by Kees van den Bos) which happened to be in the room.
As of 1 PM today, protesters had occupied the office of chair Daniël Wigboldus.
The President of the Executive Board was in a meeting with Vice President Agnes Muskens when the protesters went to sit outside his door and began shouting phrases such as ‘Oh Daniël, shame on you, we see you’. After they entered his office, Wigboldus halted their meeting and both board members left the room. The students did not heed requests to vacate the premises by security personnel.
‘So far, the university has done nothing about our demands’, as explained by protest spokesperson Ties. ‘They refuse to take action to cut ties with Israel. We will not be quiet as long as they maintain that attitude.’
Crocheting watermelons
The occupation follows a scheduled meeting between the Executive Board and the participational bodies in the auditorium this morning. Representatives for the protesters listened to the proceedings from the stands. Two of them were silently crocheting watermelons in support of Palestine. During the meeting, the Board reflected on the eviction of the Erasmus building by police last Monday, and answered critical questions as to why the police had to intervene.
During the meeting, President Wigboldus stated that he does not want to cut ties with Israel at this time. However, an advisory committee will be created which will evaluate all cooperations one by one. ‘But there’s no rush behind it’, Ties replies, standing in front of Wigboldus’ office window. Ten protesters are already inside by that point.
Yoga exercises
The students use the office to do yoga exercises and talk to each other. It’s not long before there’s a rumour that police will show up soon, so fellow protesters line the sides of the former monastery building. Porters and security personnel leave the group to their business and do not interfere. Outside, students wave Palestinian flags while smoking cigarettes.
After two hours of waiting, the protesters leave the chair’s chamber of their own accord. ‘We’re hungry’, they say. The police never showed up.
Translated by Jasper Pesch
