War in Gaza
The Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) will file a complaint after violence in the context of the pro-Palestinian occupation on campus.
ULB rector Annemie Schaus will file a complaint after tensions on the Solbosch campus on Tuesday evening. She told the RTBF. According to the Coordination Committee of Jewish Organizations (CCOJB), the president of the Union des étudiants juifs de Belgique (UEJB) was allegedly beaten and verbally abused after filming the protest with an Israeli flag around his shoulders. “The security services immediately intervened and peace has returned,” says Schaus, “but a complaint will be filed because violence was allegedly committed, especially against the chairman. I cannot tolerate that.”
After the occupations of several universities in the US and Europe, student protests also landed on several Belgian campuses this week, including Ghent University and ULB. The activists at the ULB explicitly advocate ending collaborations with Israeli universities and companies “that participate in the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people.” “There is a genocide going on,” they shout.
The rector of the ULB emphasizes that she respects the freedom of the demonstration and the concerns of young people, despite the fact that the actions were not requested or approved. “But we do not tolerate excesses of violence,” it said. In the meantime, the dialogue and negotiations between the university and the demonstrators continue. An evacuation of the demonstrators is not planned. The ULB is investigating the agreements concluded with certain Israeli universities. “Some of them are absolutely not contestable, only one was suspended,” the rector said.
