‘In Gaza they talk about the student intifada’: among the activists who occupied Ghent University

“I have my tent and mat ready here.” Ghamaal Croes, a 26-year-old Middle Eastern studies student, stands in the UFO building of Ghent University, a Palestinian scarf and flag draped around him. “I plan to go to class every day and study for several hours,” he says. “But this will be my base for the next few days.”

In addition to Croes’ tent, there are about ten others in the hall of the university building. About eighty students have been occupied since Monday morning. Their promotion runs until Wednesday.

‘Rik Van De Walle, you can’t hide! You’re supporting genocide!‘The students make their demands clear with chants, chants that are personally addressed to the rector. Ghent University must provide transparency about its ties with Israeli institutions and cut them.

Human Rights Commission

Collaborations with Israeli universities have long been a sensitive issue within the university walls. Ghent University has no direct – so-called ‘bilateral’ – partnerships with Israeli institutions. But researchers do participate in large international projects, which include Israeli universities.

From research by Apache it appears that Ghent University participates in 22 projects, in which 18 Israeli institutions participate. Ten of them provide material or ideological support to the Israeli army. All projects are financed by Horizon. That is a billion-dollar pot that the European Union makes available for scientific research.

The human rights committee of Ghent University previously issued an advice not to enter into multilateral partnerships with Israeli institutions if they are involved in human rights violations. But that advice was rejected by the board of directors in a vote on Friday, which has caused a lot of outrage among students. “It is scandalous,” says Siska (an pseudonym), the spokeswoman for the campaign, which is supported by End Fossil Gent and Ghent Students For Palestine.

The university claims that it attaches great importance to human rights, Siska notes. Yet the university did not even follow the advice of its own experts. The same “hypocrisy” also exists in sustainability policy.

“For example, the university is cutting back on the Green Office, where students and professors think together about sustainability,” says Siska. “It saves on sustainability and at the same time maintains ties with a state responsible for genocide.”

The signatures under an open letter show that many Ghent University staff and professors also support the students’ demands.

“The signatories of the open letter address the war violence in Gaza,” says Rector Rik Van de Walle in response. “It goes without saying that I am also concerned about the underlying problems in the region, and their consequences as we see them to this day.”

Ghent University was accused of being insufficiently transparent about the partnerships. That is why the university is now working on a list that explains these.

There have also been actions in other cities and students have put the theme of academic cooperation on the agenda. At the VUB, where such a list of partnerships is also being drawn up, consultations took place on Monday. KU Leuven will follow on Tuesday.

Worldwide protest

With these actions, Belgian students are joining a global protest movement. From India to Canada there are actions against the war in Gaza. In the US, there are protests on about forty campuses and there have already been confrontations with the police in several places.

Even though one demonstration on a campus may not make much difference, a large movement does set things in motion. In the US, the war in Gaza has become an election issue due to the campus occupations.

Many Americans believe that President Joe Biden is not doing enough to rein in Israel – which could cost him votes in November. “These protests are constantly in the media,” says Middle East expert Koert Debeuf (VUB). “There is no doubt that they are increasing the pressure on Biden.”

The student protests are not alone either. In a sense, they join other movements that want to stop economic cooperation through boycotts. “The Belgian government is now campaigning at EU level for an import ban on agricultural products from the occupied territories,” says Debeuf. “Such things show the Israeli government that it is losing support and give strength to the opposition.”

For Lamis Bayoumi (38), a Belgian-Palestinian woman who participates in protests in Ghent, the actions are about much more than academic partnerships. It is a clear condemnation of the violence in Gaza. “This generation of students gives me hope for the future. Their message is that everyone should be able to live in freedom.”

Slogans and chants don’t stop plane bombs, but they mean something. Ghamaal Croes, who is in contact with people in Gaza, also notices this. “There they talk about the ‘student intifada’. The protests are alive and well among Gazans: they make them realize that they do receive support in other places in the world.”