“There will be a compilation video with statements from all board presidents and we have been asked to express our dissatisfaction about the cuts via social media,” says Smits about UNL’s request. He and fellow board member Groothuis already took a photo with a protest sign in Atlas. The video can be viewed at the bottom of this article.

Discouraged

People all over the Netherlands are very disappointed that the protest cannot go ahead. National news network NOS already wrote yesterday that the triangle of mayor, police and public prosecution service had recently received ‘concrete information from outside the city’, which reportedly showed that a pro-Palestine organization intended to hijack the protest. ‘The information also shows that they won’t shy away from violence’, mayor Dijksma wrote in a letter to the city council of Utrecht.

No further context was released about this, such as which group it concerned, which region it came from, or what exactly it planned to do during the education protest. As far as is known, no alternative location was assigned either, as often happens when a protest cannot be safely facilitated at a chosen location.

Incidentally, the protest wasn’t prohibited, but it was strongly discouraged by the Utrecht security triangle. The organization of the education protest took that advice. “Although I respect the decision of the mayor of Utrecht, I continue to find it sad for democracy in our country that protests are not allowed and possible,” says board president Smits.

Although the protest won’t go ahead, it does seem like some students will travel to Utrecht to express their dissatisfaction, reports the Higher Education Press Agency. The mayor is calling on protesters to stay away.