Netherlands authorities on Tuesday arrested more than 120 people and used bulldozers to remove pro-Palestine encampments at the University of Amsterdam.
The demonstration, similar to protests that started on US campuses against Israel's war in Gaza, created a "very unsafe situation", police said.
The police also used batons against protesters after they blocked off some roads to the university.
"The protest in this form created a very unsafe situation, partly due to the barricades that prevented emergency services from entering the site. In the event of a disaster, the activists themselves could possibly become stuck on the site," the police said in a statement.
The encampment at University of Amsterdam had the riot police called on it in its first 12 hours. UvA called the police on its own students, who then razed unarmed student protestors with a bulldozer. Over a 100 protestors are now arrested.
— Mariya (@mariyankhan) May 7, 2024
power to the students. in our lifetime pic.twitter.com/lLkG8Veu7e
Dutch police use BULLDOZERS to destroy anti-Israel encampment at the University of Amsterdam. pic.twitter.com/iHmOWPNeg9
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 7, 2024
Violence had erupted on Monday when a small group of counter-protesters wielding flares stormed the main protest.
Some students also hurled stones and fireworks at the officers when they broke up the demonstration, police said.
Pro-Israeli protestors at a pro-Palestinian protesters gathering at the University of Amsterdam
Photo Credit: AFP
The protesters have urged the administration at the University of Amsterdam to break ties with Israel because of its military offensive in Gaza.
The war in Gaza was sparked after the October 7 attack on Israeli cities by the Palestinian group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 people.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has since then killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
Pro-Palestinian Protests At Universities
Student protests against Israel's assault on Gaza started from the universities in the US and have now spread to Europe.
Demonstrators have gathered on at least 40 US university campuses, including Columbia University, the epicentre in New York of the student protests, since April 17.
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on the campus of George Washington University
Photo Credit: AFP
About 2,000 people have since been detained across the US with police forcibly dismantling various student sit-ins.
Students at various universities in Australia, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria have now also been occupying halls and facilities, demanding an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions.
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