BY GIULIA FABRIZI AND INGRID ȘTEFAN
Despite the Groningen delegation being relatively small, much more people than expected showed up to Monday’s national protest in The Hague against the government’s higher education budget cuts. ‘It was overwhelming to see so many people mobilise.’
According to the unions who organised the protest, at least 20,000 people came to the Malieveld, near the Ministry of Education.
Initially, it didn’t look like people were as motivated to attend after the original protest, on November 14 in Utrecht, had been cancelled. It was supposed to be the biggest educational protest in years, but it was called off because a pro-Palestinian organisation was reportedly planning to hijack it.
Thousands of students still showed up and afterwards, the unions were angry and called the mayor’s recommendation to cancel a ‘de facto prohibition’ of the long-planned protest.
Fewer people from Groningen
In Groningen, it seemed like the energy to protest fizzled out. Organize the RUG had rented three buses to go to Utrecht, but ultimately, only one bus departed to The Hague. ‘If it weren’t for all these energetic people from Groningen who organised this, I probably wouldn’t have attended’, said an Irish UG master student on the way to The Hague. ‘I feel like apathy has seeped into my bones, but I’m going now because I want others to have the same chances that I did.’
An estimated 150 to 200 UG students and staff were at the protest. Sixty of them went by bus and UKrant spoke to several UG people in The Hague who had come in groups on their own accord, generally by train.
Because the new demonstration date was on such short notice, many staff members were unable to attend. The UG’s board of directors, which had been meaning to be at the Utrecht protest, couldn’t make it either. Director of the board Jouke de Vries, who was supposed to attend, was ultimately unable to due to personal circumstances. Many other university boards were in attendance on Monday.
Lower House
The planned budget cuts will be discussed in the Lower House on Tuesday afternoon and on Thursday. Opposition parties say they will block the proposal in the Upper House, where the government does not have a majority. Opposition parties D66, CDA and JA21 have joined forces to get the government to strike the slow study penalty, as well as the cuts to the starter and stimulus grants.
D66 leader Rob Jetten took the stage to explain their plans. After an hour of speeches, the crowd marched towards the Ministry of Education and the government buildings.
Sea of people
The Malieveld and its surroundings were a sea of people for almost two hours, with people waving flags and signs and chanting ‘Don’t do it’. Although the protest was supposed to be done at 3 p.m., it was closer to 4.30 p.m. by the time everyone had left.
‘I couldn’t believe it when Organize the RUG told us there would be ten thousand people attending’, said Dinie Bouwman, university council member and policy adviser at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, on her way back to Groningen. ‘But it was even twice that much. It was overwhelming to see so many people mobilise, but in a very positive sense.’