The UG is taking extra security measures during the opening of the academic year on Monday in view of possible actions by pro-Palestinian activists. One of the measures will be to add extra security.
‘We’re taking visible and invisible measures and we’ll scale them up and down when necessary’, said a university spokesperson.
Apart from having extra security guards, she would not say what else the measures entail. These will be decided on in consultation with the triumvirate (consisting of the police, the Public Prosecution Service, and Groningen mayor Koen Schuiling).
Cortege
The opening of the academic year is traditionally held in the Martini Church, with speeches and music. Beforehand, professors in togas (the cortege) walk from the Academy Building via the Grote Markt to the church.
For the first time this year, people are unable to obtain tickets to the events. Instead, guests’ names will be checked against a list at the entrance of the Martini Church.
Tent camp
In mid-May, pro-Palestinian activists occupied the Harmonie square with a tent camp to protest against the UG’s ties with Israel. They demanded that the university cut all ties because of ‘the genocide of the Palestinian population’ in Gaza.
Four weeks and three days later, the tent camp was disbanded after activists occupied a UG building and police intervened using their batons.
New actions
The protesters in Groningen have already announced several times on social media that the actions will continue after the summer.
Other universities in the Netherlands are also reckoning with new actions during the opening of the academic year. The UvA and the Vrije Universiteit, for instance, both in Amsterdam, are also taking extra measures. At both universities, among other things, entrance checks will be held and coats and bags will not be allowed inside.