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In addition to the United States, college students in Belgium and the Netherlands have recently joined the growing number of international student protests against Israel’s military operations in Gaza. 

On Monday, the University of Ghent in Belgium and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands became the latest sites of protests. In Amsterdam, many students gathered at a downtown campus of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where they set up tents and restricted campus access with wooden pallets.

The protesting students are calling on both the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) to sever their academic and research partnerships with Israeli institutions. 

A spokesperson from UvA responded to the protests, noting the university’s tolerance for the daytime demonstrations but not for overnight stays. “If students decide to spend the night, we will report it to the police.” Meanwhile, VU has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the protest.

Similarly, around 100 students in Belgium occupied a part of Ghent’s university, UGent. Social media footage depicted the students chanting protest slogans such as “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has to go” within one of UGent’s buildings. The university’s stance was clarified by Rik Van de Walle, the rector, who stated that although building occupations are not permitted, there are general frameworks in place to handle such events. He also mentioned that UGent conducts human rights investigations into universities it collaborates with.