Dutch police end a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Amsterdam university

Pro Israeli protestors disrupt a protest by pro-Palestinian protesters gathering at the campus of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) on Roeterseiland in Amsterdam as demonstrators demands the university sever ties with Israel. (AFP)
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Updated 07 May 2024
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Dutch police end a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Amsterdam university

  • Police said they had to act to stop the event and dismantle tents that been set up by protesters
  • Outgoing Education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf said universities are a place for dialogue and debate and he was sad to see police had to intervene

AMSTERDAM: Dutch riot police ended a pro-Palestinian demonstration at an Amsterdam university early on Tuesday, arresting some 125 people in sometimes violent clashes, authorities said.
In messages posted overnight on social media X, police said they had to act to stop the event and dismantle tents that been set up by protesters, who used violence against police at the site.
“The police’s input was necessary to restore order. We see the footage on social media. We understand that those images may appear as intense,” police said.
Local media showed demonstrators shooting fireworks at police officers but there were no immediate reports of injuries on either side.
“All is now quiet ... police stay in the vicinity of the Roeterseiland campus,” police said later on X.
Outgoing Education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf said universities are a place for dialogue and debate and he was sad to see that police had to intervene.
Student protests over the war and academic ties with Israel have begun to spread across Europe but have remained much smaller in scale than those seen in the United States.
Last Friday, police in Paris entered France’s prestigious Sciences Po university and removed student activists who had occupied its buildings.
More than 100 students occupy the Ghent university, in Belgium, in both a climate and a Gaza protest that they want to prolong until Wednesday.


UK condemns 10-year sentence for British couple in Iran

Updated 11 sec ago
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UK condemns 10-year sentence for British couple in Iran

  • Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged ‌with espionage after ‌Iran accused ​them ‌of ⁠gathering ​information in ⁠several parts of the country
LONDON: ‌British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Thursday condemned as “totally unjustifiable” the 10-year ​sentence given to two British nationals detained in Iran, saying the government would continue pressing for their release.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged ‌with espionage after ‌Iran accused ​them ‌of ⁠gathering ​information in ⁠several parts of the country.
“We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman ⁠safely returned to the UK ‌and ‌reunited with their ​family,” Cooper ‌said in a statement.
Joe Bennett, ‌Lindsay’s son, said in a separate statement the couple had appeared at a three-hour trial ‌on October 27 of last year in which they ⁠were ⁠not allowed to present a defense.
“We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage,” he said, adding that the family was deeply concerned about the couple’s welfare and the lack ​of ​transparency in the judicial process.