Protesting on campus
What do the house rules on protesting entail?
The UvA respects and facilitates the right to protest. Students, employees and others within the UvA community can make their voices heard and draw attention to social issues. A number of guidelines apply here:
- Demonstrations or protests are allowed on UvA grounds and in buildings, provided they are peaceful. Blocking and/or occupying buildings is not permitted.
- Notify the UvA of a demonstration at least 48 hours in advance to ensure safe conduct.
- Ensure that teaching and research can continue. It is not allowed to disrupt lectures and exams. Additionally, patient care must not be disturbed in any way.
Update on house rules
Before and during the summer, there was extensive discussion about the UvA's house rules. That is why work was started on updating those house rules, which also took the reactions of students, staff, local trade unions FNV, CNV and AOb and several other civil society organisations into account. The UvA's Central Works Council and the Central Student Council are the main partners in this process and have been granted the right to consent on this subject.
How the UvA handles protests
The UvA’s goal is always to ensure that protests on campus are peaceful and that everyone feels safe. We aim to maintain dialogue with our protesting students and staff to ensure this. The hope is that by working together with students and staff, protests will proceed smoothly.
Furthermore:
- Security personnel will indicate safe routes.
- Contact points will be available for demonstrators who feel unsafe.
- We may take safety measures, such as closing a building, when necessary.
Guidelines for a peaceful protest
To help ensure a safe protest, we provide more information and guidelines for people who are present on campus at that time.
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Intimidation and vandalism
Unfortunately, we have experienced that protests sometimes escalate into intimidation and vandalism. We do not want this on campus. If this occurs, or if house rules are violated, we will ask protesters to leave.
In the event of disruptions, threats, safety risks, or signs of these, the police will be informed. This is simply a notification between two organizations. When informed, nothing necessarily happens. The police may come by to assess the situation themselves. -
Filing a report
Procedure for filing a report
Protesters who do not follow the rules will first receive a warning from a UvA representative and, if necessary, also from the police. A UvA representative will then ask the protesters to leave.
Filing a report
If UvA security is insufficient or if actions occur that our security is not authorized to handle, police assistance will be called. The UvA will file a report in cases of criminal offenses, such as vandalism or break-ins. The UvA will also file a report if people’s safety is at risk, for example, if areas or emergency exits are blocked. A report is also filed if people refuse to leave UvA buildings after closing hours.
After filing a report
It is not up to the UvA to decide if and how the police act. The Public Prosecutor or the mayor ultimately decides whether and how the police should proceed. The police will warn the protesters and, on behalf of the mayor, instruct them to leave. If they do not comply, the mayor can ban the protest. In extreme cases, the police may use force; this is subject to strict conditions and is always reviewed afterward.
Read more about the role of the police in protests on the police website (in Dutch).
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Damage from protests
The total cost of the damage caused by the occupations and destruction in May and June 2024 during protests on UvA campuses amounts to €4.1 million.
The UvA will recover damages from the perpetrators, if legally feasible. Unfortunately, in such situations, it is not always clear exactly who is responsible for what. Any damages that cannot be recovered from the perpetrators will be claimed from the UvA’s insurance.