UvA Rector Magnificus does not know who he was sitting at the table with: “Wearing face-covering clothing”

Peter-Paul Verbeek, who sat around the table as rector magnificus of the UvA during the occupation of the Binnengasthuis site, does not know who some of his interlocutors are. According to Verbeek, some of them wore face-covering clothing during the conversations, he told Nieuwsuur last night.

A day after the demonstrators took over the site, Verbeek held two conversations with the demonstrators in the hope of finding a solution together, something that ultimately did not happen. At the beginning of the evening, the UvA filed a report and the site was cleared by the riot police.

Because some of them were wearing face-covering clothing, it was unclear to Verbeek who exactly he was sitting around the table with. “I think it is important that you know that,” Verbeek told Nieuwsuur, “but it is also important that you try to de-escalate.”

With the students who sat down with the UvA in recent days, a new conversation is no longer possible: “Taking further makes it very difficult,” says Verbeek, “it is important to know who you are sitting with.” You don’t want to talk to people who have caused such destruction.”

Declaration

After the eviction, the UvA received a lot of criticism from activists and people who supported the action. For example, a report had already been filed during one of the conversations. Verbeek categorically denies the latter: “The report was made after the last conversation, I was there when the report was made.”

“It is unacceptable and sad that a protest that starts in a peaceful manner falls prey to people who escalate it so much that it gets out of hand,” says Verbeek. “In doing so, they also ensure that peaceful protests are made impossible.”

“You also see that the group sometimes splits into two. Also during the conversations: some people left, but some people stayed put, which hardened the conversation.”

The demonstrators demanded, among other things, that the UvA sever ties with Israeli organizations, but according to the rector, this is unacceptable. “We do not want to cut ties. We are a university where we want to agree with each other on the basis of dialogue and scientific conversations, or where we can disagree in a peaceful manner.”