News

Update 1: Demonstrations at Dutch universities

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May 13, 2024

On various campuses around the country, students and university employees have expressed their concerns about the violence and humanitarian situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories in recent days. That violence is terrible and worries us. It is heartbreaking to see innocent civilians becoming victims of extreme war violence. It is natural that these images evoke emotions. And we can therefore imagine that also within WUR students or employees want to express their feelings of anger, powerlessness or frustration.

When sharing your opinion

Everyone's opinion can be heard. Also within WUR, also in the form of a protest or demonstration as we have seen before. However, there are a number of frameworks and agreements to be observed, especially to ensure that safety is guaranteed.

Education and research should not be hindered by demonstrations. Calls for hatred, violence, intolerance or calls that otherwise transgress the boundaries of our open society obviously do not fit in. Neither does vandalism and destruction. As on other campuses around the country, overnight stays are not permitted on our campus.

The Executive Board has also asked the WUR council to jointly discuss
the following question: how can we as a WUR community, as Executive Board and participation bodies, provide space for debate and dialogue while ensuring that every participant feels safe and free and that we do not polarize?

Want to talk further? Or need help?

WUR is committed to supporting anyone directly or indirectly affected by these events. We are happy to offer our students and staff support in this regard. If you are a student looking for information, advice or guidance, please see the Who can I turn to? page to see who you can turn to. Employees who have concerns can seek support from their supervisor and from corporate social work (see intranet).