Shocked staff in open letter: ‘Executive Board must apologize for violence against students’
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De politie verrichtte aanhoudingen na afloop van de demonstratie. Foto: Marcel Krijgsman
OPINION - Several staff members at Radboud University are outraged at the violence inflicted on students last Wednesday at the hands of the university and police. They call on the Executive Board to apologise immediately, stop exercising violence on students and staff and calling police onto campus, cut the ties with universities complicit in genocide, and if they cannot do that: to resign. 'They are clearly not fit to run our university at present.'
A demonstration took place Wednesday by students and staff to once again call on the university to cut ties with Israeli universities complicit in the horrors we see in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. Palestinians are being starved and bombed, Israel announces its plans to colonise and ethnically cleanse, and our Executive Board (CvB) continues to remain silent and refuses to enact the conclusions made by its own ethical committee. Until ties are cut, all Radboud staff are complicit and standing on the wrong side of history, on the side of genocide and injustice.
Wednesday, after Alexandra van Huffelen refused to speak with students due to one wearing a mask (which is a common and reasonable strategy to prevent doxing and media abuse), they entered the Berchmanianum, the university’s administration building. There, as the videos posted online show, the students faced violence from security guards, being pushed and dragged to the floor.
As has tragically been normalised over the past year, the police were called in. They arrived with at least 14 cars, were armed with dogs, and proceeded to kettle students and staff. Once the demonstration was ended voluntarily, and people were walking away, police proceeded to snatch and beat students. One student was then bitten by a police dog from behind, resulting in a grave injury requiring several surgeries and days in hospital. Another student was also admitted to the hospital and many others were injured. Two students were arrested and kept in isolation cells overnight.
Deflecting blame
We note that the CvB has released a statement blaming students for ‘harassment’ against security. This, in our view, is an attempt to deflect blame. As can be clearly seen in the videos posted online, and reported by students and several staff members, the evidence demonstrates that the violence came from security, not students.
Over the last 19 months, the CvB has gradually escalated the way it responds to staff and students who demonstrate against the university’s complicity with genocide, to the point where it now sanctions the most extreme forms of violence on our students and colleagues. This has all been done without our consent. We have expressed our grave concerns about police presence on campus and the increasing repression of the right to demonstrate through open letters and conversations with the Deans of several faculties before (see here for a previous open letter). Yet, the CvB has decided to ramp up police intervention and repression in exactly the way we feared and warned.
‘Our students and staff are not criminals. They are trying all the can to make up for our CvB’s lack of courage’
Over the past 19 months, campus security has been massively beefed up. There are countless instances of security staff assaulting students, spying on students, passing false information to the police, filming students, and directing their arrest. The CvB has also massively increased the regularity with which it calls the police on to campus, who now arrive in their droves and heavily armed. Time and again, the police use extreme violence against students and staff, including beating, setting dogs on them, and wrongfully arresting them. The CvB continues to refuse to apologise for this violence or the false charges made against staff and students.
To justify this, the CvB has also over the past 19 months criminalized students and staff in such a way as to try to make this violence seem normal, to portray them as threatening, scary, intimidating.
Lack of courage
Our students and staff are not criminals. They are trying all they can to make up for our CvB’s lack of courage and inhumanity in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And the violence inflicted upon them cannot be normalised.
This violence has led to countless injuries and traumas among staff and students. It has also created a climate of fear in which so many who wish to demonstrate or speak up are too afraid because of the fear of violence and repression, by both the university and the police. In such a climate, it becomes impossible to teach and learn.
It is clear that the CvB is no longer able to act properly to ensure an open, lively, democratic campus which secures the safety of students and staff who exercise their right to demonstrate. Time and again, our university leadership shows a complete inability to act as leaders and make the right moral judgements. This is causing severe harm to our engaged academic community.
We say enough is enough. We therefore call on the CvB to cut ties to institutions complicit in genocide, stop exercising violence and calling police on our students and colleagues, repair the damage done to students and staff, and if they cannot do that: to resign.
Signed,
Marieke Woensdregt, Faculty of Social Sciences
Harry Pettit, Faculty of Management
Liza Steultjens, Faculty of Management
Noha Yassen, Faculty of Social Sciences
Rikke Ponger, Faculty of Management
Simone van Wieringen, Faculty of Management
Juliette Alenda-Demoutiez, Faculty of Management
Marieke van Houte, Faculty of Social Sciences
Ellen van Werkhoven, Faculty of Social Sciences
Mathijs van de Sande, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Eefje Derix, Faculty of Social Sciences
Tine Davids, Faculty of Social Sciences
Francesco Battaglia, Faculty of Sciences
Aafke Uilhoorn, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Jessica Ramos-Sanchez, Faculty of Social Sciences
Adriejan van Veen, Faculty of Arts
Mirjam Broersma, Faculty of Arts
Claire Pleche, Faculty of Science
Puck Overhaart, Faculty of Management
Annelies Kleinherenbrink, Faculty of Social Sciences
José Renkens, Faculty of Social Sciences
Jamea Kofi, Faculty of Management
Harriet Yates, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Olivier Kramsch, Faculty of Management
Onno Giller, Faculty of Management
Mihaela Cimpian, Faculty of Social Sciences
Olivia Guest, Faculty of Social Sciences
Nils Donselaar, Faculty of Social Sciences
Gaard Kets, Faculty of Management
Iris van Rooij, Faculty of Social Sciences
Mark Blokpoel, Faculty of Social Sciences
Anouk Evers, Faculty of Social Sciences
Garjan Sterk, Faculty of Social Sciences/RG&DS
Romain Malejacq, Faculty of Management
Vera Linke, Faculty of Management
Julia Pałejko, Faculty of Management
Anya Topolski, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies
Andrea Bunge, Faculty of Social Sciences
Arnoud Lagendijk, Faculty of Management
Max Hinne, Faculty of Social Sciences
Samuel Ballin, Faculty of Law
Lothar Smith, Faculty Management
Lotje Siffels, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Kevin Raaphorst, Faculty of Management
Kamile Kartal, lecturer, general practitioner
Naline Geurtzen, Faculty of Social Sciences
Klaas Landsman, Faculty of Science
Ea Høg Utoft, Faculty of Social Sciences
Joris Schapendonk, faculty of management
Sterre Naaktgeboren, Faculty of Law
Querine Kommandeur, Faculty of Management
Martijn de Koning, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Joep Bos-Coenraad, Faculty of Science
Eleonora Kyriakou, Faculty of Management
Wouter Kant, Faculty of Science
Ksenija Ivanović, Faculty of Management
Sophia de Vries, Faculty of Law
M. Dingemanse, Faculty of Arts
Merlijn Olthof, Faculty of Social Sciences
Mariecke van den Berg, Faculty of Philisophy, Theology, and Religious Studies
Angela Wigger, Faculty of Management
Chris Nijhuis, Faculty of Management
Paul Reef, Faculty of Arts
Sarah Thin, Faculty of Law
Marlou Rasenberg, Faculty of Arts
Anna Pivaty, Faculty of Law
Kamel Essabane, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Catherina Wilson, Nijmegen School of Management
Kati Ihnat, Faculty of Arts
Marie Keulen, Faculty of Arts
Nik Linders, Faculty of Social Sciences
Niklas Holzhauer, Faculty of Management
Tim Miechels, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Ingrid Visseren-Hamakers, Faculty of Management
Lucy Spoliar, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Sander Bisselink, Faculty of Social Sciences
Andrej Zaslove, Faculty of Management
Margot Vandenbroucke, lecturer, Radboudumc
Airin Farahmand, Faculty of Arts
Stacey de Jong-Witjes, MD and PhD student, Radboudumc
Juul Kwaks, Faculty of Management
Freek Oude Maatman, Faculty of Social Sciences
Arjan Sterken, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Eva Rieter, faculty of law
Marcela Suárez, Faculty of Social Sciences
Tjidde Tempels, Faculty of Management
Jan Bant, Faculty of Arts
Marieke van den Brink, FSW
Robyn Ausmeier, Faculty of Social Sciences
Ayşegül Güneyli, Faculty of Social Sciences
Demi Storm, Faculty of Arts
Sajad Kahali, Faculty of Science
Francesco Cerchiaro, Faculty of Social Sciences
Adele Tufford, Faculty of Management
Nino Vallen, Faculty of Arts
Marloes Jaspers-van der Maten, Faculty of Social Sciences
Godelieve Peters-Boselie, external PhD, Faculty of Arts
Alana Osbourne, Faculty of Management
Love Hansell, Faculty of Management
Gabriel Bucur, Faculty of Science
Nina de Boer, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Roel Bouman, Faculty of Science
Sophie de Groot, Radboud Services
Lena Richter, Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Maria Kaufmann, Faculty of Management
Rens Thiecke, Radboud Services
Luuk Winkelmolen, Faculty of Management
Karolien van Teijlingen, Faculty of Social Science
Zunera Rana, Faculty of Social Science
Lynn de Rijk, Faculty of Arts
Ana Camacho, Faculty of Arts
Nidia Olvera, Faculty of Arts
Elke Linders, Faculty of Social Sciences
Indra Römgens, Faculty of Management
Ricky van Oers, Faculty of Law
Seffie schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 11:05
My heart breaks for the students that were horribly injured by this horrific repression by the cvb. This cannot continue. Thank you to all the staff speaking out
Rob schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 15:10
My heart breaks when I hear such BS from staff that should not engage in politics and political statements. They are there to teach and help students. I wonder which fields of study the situation in Gaza has any relevance to?
Pieter schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 11:49
Burgemeester Hubert Bruls zegt vandaag in de Telegraaf dat het stevige optreden een reactie was op het geweld van de demonstranten. „Er zijn aan de lopende band bezettingen, demonstraties, vaak met vernielingen. Dit was de eerste keer dat de agressie zich richtte tegen personeel van de universiteit. Dat is écht een grens over en dan moet je niet verbaasd zijn dat de politie optreedt. Dan kun je gewond raken, ja. Actie is reactie.”
Politiewetenschapper van de VU Jaap Timmer vermoedt dat activisten zich extra uitsloven om hun punt te maken omdat universiteiten niet zwichten voor hun eisen. „Vorig jaar waren de universiteiten nog zoekend, nu hebben ze gezien wat de financiële gevolgen zijn als activisten erin slagen het gebouw binnen te dringen en te bezetten. Als demonstranten meer geweld gebruiken, schakelt de politie óók op.”
“Activisten moeten leren dat demonstratierecht niet onbegrensd is”, zegt Timmer. „Studenten worden altijd door hun advocaten geïnstrueerd over hun rechten, zoals door Willem Jebbink. Maar het zou hem sieren als hij ook op hun plichten wijst. De politie is bevoegd, daar hebben we samen in de wet voor gekozen, om geweld te gebruiken als dat nodig is om hun taak te kunnen uitoefenen. In dit geval om de openbare orde te herstellen. Als de politie zegt dat je weg moet gaan, dan moet je die aanwijzing opvolgen. Anders pleeg je een strafbaar feit en wordt je aangehouden.”
Bonnie H schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 14:47
Er is een student met een gigantische vleeswond die meerdere operaties zal moeten ondergaan. Deze student is toegetakeld terwijl die onderweg naar huis was, wat overigens alle activisten deden, nadat dat één keer gevraagd was door de politie. Zoals het hoort dus. Dat lees je zelfs in het narratief van de politie en de universiteit. Al was deze persoon verdacht, dan nog is dat buitenproportioneel. De politie was met minimaal 30 gewapende agenten en een hond, dat laatste als het één-na-hoogste wapen van de politie geldt, enkel na een pistool. Het verdacht maken van een grote groep demonstranten die allemaal opstaan voor hetzelfde doen, op basis van een onderzoek dat loopt naar enkelen van hen is schandelijk. Dit vervolgens gebruiken om het ernstige letsel dat een van deze studenten is toegedaan te excuseren – nee, zelfs te valideren!- , zonder dat er een woord gerept is over de rol van deze student, is ronduit gevaarlijk.
Medewerker schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 11:59
As can be clearly seen in the videos posted online, and reported by students and several staff members, the evidence demonstrates that the violence came from security, not students.’
‘Daarbij is een beveiliger in de hand gebeten, is een medewerker vastgegrepen en geslagen en een andere medewerker gekrabd en de arm gepijnigd.’
Ik ben er zelf niet bij geweest, maar niet allebei de stellingen kunnen waar zijn lijkt mij. Het wordt als omstander op deze wijze ook steeds lastiger om tot een objectief beeld te komen wanneer beide partijen verzaken een reëel beeld te schetsen over wat er heeft plaatsgevonden, waarbij ook de eigen tekortkomingen worden benoemd. Treurig om te zien dat men op een universiteit niet verder komt dan dit wij/zij-denken.
Harry Pettit schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 14:18
The CvB released their statement barely one hour after the protest, no checking facts with multiple people or with video footage. It is also notable that this time they believe the accounts of security, but when we were arrested they did not believe our accounts about security pointing us out to police. They are happy to believe some, but not others.
It also suggests that on the top of their mind was getting a certain version of events out there quick to cover their tracks because they knew there would be outrage at the way security and police had reacted to this situation and they needed to try to justify it. It is shameful but not very surprising. They have tried their best to criminalise students and staff for 1.5 years and it is now clear they have actively decided, as the comment above makes clear, to sanction extreme violence on protesters. They have chosen this way rather than ending complicity with genocide. It will cast historic shame on the institution.
Anonymous schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 16:16
@Harry Pettit. Well yeah, of course they’re not particularly inclined to believe people that have been antagonising them for months over the accounts of their own personnel. Like… what were you expecting? Is the incredulity in your post rhetorical or is it genuine naïvete?
That is not to say that the police response here was appropriate – it wasn’t, and the university should at the very least apologise for it – but be for real, some people here are playing ‘vermoorde onschuld’ as though their lives depended on it…
Erwin van der Krabben schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 12:46
Ik begrijp eerlijk gezegd niet meer waarom de redactie van VOX deze ingezonden brieven steeds weer plaatst. Wat is de nieuwswaarde? Er is al uitgebreid door VOX-journalisten over de incidenten geschreven. De indieners van deze brief hebben al talloze malen hun standpunten en hun eisen aan het College van Bestuur duidelijk gemaakt ten aanzien van de banden van deze universiteit met Israëlische universiteiten. Dat weten we nu echt wel. Dus waarom deze brief weer plaatsen? Uiteraard mag iedereen zijn ongenoegen uiten over van alles en nog wat, maar stuur die brief dan maar rechtstreeks aan het CvB. Dat hoeft niet steeds weer op VOX gepubliceerd te worden. Nogmaals, we weten het nu wel. En dan krijg je weer een hele rits van reacties van veelal anonieme voor- en tegenstanders; wat voegt dat nog toe?
Jan schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 14:01
Als je je zo druk maakt om deze herhaling van zetten zou ik me eens gaan afvragen waarom dat steeds gebeurt. Verdiep je eens. Excessief politiegeweld is echt niet ok. Liegen is echt niet ok. By the way: zelf vind je het ook nodig om te reageren. Als je die herhaling van zette zo moe bent, kun je ook zelf stoppen met de repetitie. Ingezonden brieven zullen echter blijven komen zolang het CvB onmenselijkheid blijft tonen.
Erwin van der Krabben schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 14:38
Hoe zo verdiep ik me niet? Bijzonder arrogant om dat te stellen. En ja, je mag zoveel inzenden als je wilt. Maar mijn vraag is en blijft aan de redactie gericht: is er nog wel nieuwswaarde en waarom wordt dit geplaatst?
Adriejan van Veen schreef op 9 mei 2025 om 14:20
In the Telegraaf (see below), Mayor Bruls states that he recently advised the CvB to go harder on students. Now that explains something.
Shameful in the extreme that this now leads to students having huge chunks of flesh ripped off from them, until bone is exposed, by POLICE DOGS, on campus. To a student needing immediate SURGERY and two (!) students hospitalized.
This is on the Mayor-CvB tandem.
https://archive.ph/i9lbV
Bruls vindt dat het universiteitsbestuur ’buitengewoon veel geduld en inlevingsvermogen’ heeft gehad. „Dat het bestuur na het geweld nu een grens trekt, snap ik wel. Dat heb ik zelf geadviseerd. Je hoeft niet álles over je kant te laten gaan.”