In recent months, security guards at the UG have repeatedly denied students access to buildings for the wrong reasons, such as wearing a medical mask or carrying a bag with a Palestinian flag on it.
According to the UG, these incidents were due to ‘a significant misunderstanding by the security staff’. The guards denied entry to individuals they believed might be pro-Palestinian protesters, even though security is not authorised to stop students without proper cause.
On their Instagram page, Encampment RUG, the Groningen student branch of the pro-Palestine movement, shared the story of a student who was denied entry to the Academy building on Monday because they were carrying a bag with a Palestinian flag. As a result, the student missed a lecture.
Another student commented, recounting how they were denied entry to the Academy building in June for wearing a medical mask. The student wrote: ‘I’m disabled and I need to stay safe from Covid and viruses in general. It was highly traumatising and I haven’t been back.’
Medical data
If a student claims to wear a mask for medical reasons, security staff are not permitted to ask about the nature of these reasons. Medical information is considered sensitive personal data and is protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Denying someone entry for refusing to answer a medical question is also prohibited.
According to a UG spokesperson, all security guards were re-instructed on Tuesday morning about what they are and aren’t allowed to do in such situations.