Humboldt University occupied 24 hours a day: President speaks of a “good day” | EUROtoday

Status: 22:18 | Reading time: 3 minutes

MPro-Palestinian activists had occupied a constructing on the Humboldt University (HU) for greater than 24 hours. Helmeted cops have been clearing the Institute of Social Sciences for a couple of hours. Numerous activists have been led out of the constructing and right into a cordoned off space.

University President Julia von Blumenthal was additionally there: “It is important to me to be with the students at this moment and to show them that I am also their president,” she instructed journalists. Even although she doesn’t share most of the political calls for which have been circulating within the press, von Blumenthal additionally condemns the injury to property within the constructing.

Nevertheless, with a moderator, it was attainable to speak with mutual respect “about what we can perhaps even come closer together and also about what separates us.” It was attainable to take heed to the struggling of the Palestinian college students. Of course, she all the time had the struggling of the Jewish college students in thoughts as properly.

“I very much regret that we were not able to bring this afternoon to a conclusion at the end of which we might actually have managed to reach some kind of understanding with this very special group that was down there,” lamented the professor. “I had the impression that we had a good day and had made a good step in this dialogue.”

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The order to clear the occupation got here from “the very top”. The Science Senator Ina Czyborra ordered the evacuation in settlement with the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner. The HU adopted this order.

Students had repeatedly chanted slogans akin to “Viva Palestine” and “Yallah Intifada” and accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. “The question of whether this is a genocide in Gaza is one that is controversially discussed in science and on which there are different positions under international law,” mentioned von Blumenthal when requested by WELT.

However, she herself just isn’t satisfied by the arguments that say it’s a genocide. “Because I don’t see that the Israeli government’s goal would be to destroy the population in the Gaza Strip.”

When requested concerning the activists' demand to interrupt off relations with Israeli universities, von Blumenthal mentioned: “I made it clear that this was out of the question for us. We stand firmly by our Israeli partner universities – and especially by a university like the University of Haifa, which is trying to build a kind of bridge, an understanding, with many Palestinian students. We would never break off ties with such a partner.”

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When requested what penalties this is able to have for the scholars, the president referred to the cops. You can see that private particulars are being recorded. “Prosecution can only take place where crimes have either been committed or applications have been filed based on criminal offenses.”

The HU is not going to file felony expenses for trespassing, because the short-term occupation was tolerated. It can’t but touch upon questions of injury to property, because it has not but had the chance to examine the constructing in its entirety.