Pro-Palestinian student protests spread across Europe

This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.

As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues, students gather and protest, calling on their universities to sever financial and institutional ties with Israel. These student protests, which initially began on US campuses, have now spread to places such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK

As in the U.S., many European student-led protests are demanding that their schools divest from companies or institutions linked to Israel. Zora, who did not give her full name, is a 28-year-old student at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

He states his demands clearly: “We would like the University of Geneva to cease all cooperation and partnerships with universities in Israel. Until our demands are taken seriously, we will remain.”

In practice, divestment is difficult. Many schools of thought argue that it is impossible to identify every investment as linked to Israel and argue that deciding to cut funding is a moral judgment for the State of Israel. That said, some protests did manage to get what they wanted.

At Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, students completed a five-day camp after the college met their demands, student representative Aiesha Wong explained.

“The university itself has many connections with Israeli companies and companies that are involved in the war industry, so the university has agreed to review all of that and also divest and withdraw from any partnerships with these bodies,” Wong said.

One big difference with the student protest movement across Europe is that it is less cohesive than on US campuses, and a number of other issues have been raised.

Zora from the University of Geneva calls for more practical measures. “We are asking you to welcome all Palestinian students in Switzerland so they can continue their studies.”

While many protests and demonstrations have been peaceful – as has been the case in the United States – there have been violent clashes. In Paris, police broke up a pro-Palestinian rally in front of the Sorbonne. In Amsterdam, police were filmed baton-charging and destroying their tents after they refused to leave a campus building.

Peter Poelman, a 30-year-old lawyer living in the city, said he had mixed feelings about the protests.

“It’s really impressive that such a community of students stood up and tried to bring attention to this issue,” he said. “But on the other hand, I heard that they occupied some buildings – some classic, 200-year-old buildings.”

In the UK, principals from 17 universities met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss the protests and steps they should take to combat anti-Semitism. Edward Isaacs, president of the Jewish Students Union, said this type of dialogue is important.

“The prime minister has made it very clear that campuses must be places where Jewish students are welcome, included and can learn safely,” he said.

However, unlike other countries, British schools say they have no intention of clearing the encampments.

“We believe it is our duty and responsibility to respond to these events and hold our institutions accountable for their actions,” said Henry Wall, an English student at Cambridge.

More than seven months since the Gaza war began, students in the UK and Europe – like those in the US – say they will continue to protest until the conflict ends.