On May 7, 2024, police forcibly arrested 79 protesters, including students, at a peaceful pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin).
The encampment was organized by Student Coalition Berlin, which calls itself a “anti-colonial coalition of 10+ student collectives” to call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israeli institutions and an end to the repression of student protests. On the morning of May 7, around 150 people set up tents in a courtyard on FU Berlin’s campus. Students from universities across Berlin joined the protest. Around 50 protesters occupied an adjacent building. Protesters led chants such as “Viva, viva, Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea,” held signs, and made speeches.
At 11:00 a.m., the university administration called police to evacuate the protesters from campus. Police then ordered the protesters to vacate the campus by 2:00 p.m. The protesters refused to leave and formed a human chain around the encampment. When the deadline passed, police broke apart the chain and forcefully removed the protesters from campus. By 5:45 p.m., the police had arrested 79 protesters, dismantled the encampment, and cleared the adjacent buildings. The university complex was closed for the rest of the day. Following the evacuation, police initiated investigations into 80 criminal offenses, including “trespassing, resistance and suspicion of incitement,” and “participation in an unregistered assembly,” according to Berliner Zeitung. According to FU Berlin, the protesters also caused property damage.
In a statement, FU Berlin denounced the protest and stated that “dialogue or negotiations with university management [was] rejected. Antisemitic sentiments were also witnessed during the protest,” and that “an occupation of university property is not acceptable. We welcome academic debate and dialogue – but not in this form.” In a statement posted to Instagram, Student Coalition Berlin stated that “despite our disposition to speak with the University, the first reaction of its administration was to call the police,” and that the coalition “never refused a dialogue or negotiation in writing as the university stated.” They also noted that several protesters were seriously injured during the police intervention.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the forcible arrests of students exercising their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. While university authorities have an obligation to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of students and university personnel and should endeavor to prevent disruptions that inappropriately inhibit the functioning of or access to higher education, they must do so consistent with their responsibility to ensure academic freedom and free expression on campus. The punishment of nonviolent student and faculty expression undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/amsterdam-campus-protest-gaza-europe-palestinians-israel-1eeb4e07231ebcc6776319ff0663db66
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/may/07/police-drag-students-from-pro-palestinian-protest-at-berlin-university-video
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/7/police-break-up-pro-palestine-protests-at-berlin-amsterdam-campuses
https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/fu-berlin-pro-palaestina-demonstranten-schlagen-camp-auf-dem-campus-auf-li.2212838
https://www.zeit.de/news/2024-05/07/palaestina-aktivisten-im-hof-der-fu-raeumung-angekuendigt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhjQgXhfP00
https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/presse/informationen/fup/2024/fup_24-099-statement-besetzung/index.html
https://www.instagram.com/student_coalition_berlin/p/C6qRfYjMeRc/?img_index=2
https://www.instagram.com/student_coalition_berlin/p/C6tkc65MlJO/?img_index=2