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We appreciate the involvement of students and staff who continue to call attention to the situation in Gaza and Israel in various ways. We are glad that in various places within Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, such as with our ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ Council, the conversation is and will continue to be held. We ask our community to conduct the conversation with attention and respect for each other from person to person. There is always room within Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ for different (scientific) perspectives and feelings. Calls for hatred, violence, intimidation or calls that otherwise transgress the framework of the open society are of course out of place. Maintaining an open dialogue with each other is all the more important when tensions within universities grow.

Factors in all considerations include the fact that several students and staff currently do not feel safe because of what is happening. Not only Jewish students and staff, but also students who say they just want to go to college and staff who just want to do their jobs and now feel hampered in doing so. There are also students and staff who feel pressure to speak out. We find this undesirable. Everyone should feel safe at our university. We do everything we can to make that possible, but we do worry about polarization and its consequences.

Up-to-date information and the latest developments can be followed at the page UU and the situation in Gaza and Israel.

The Executive Board feels a responsibility for all the nearly 50,000 students and staff of all backgrounds. It is important that everyone feels welcome and safe at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, regardless of their origin, background or political beliefs.

We care about and offer support to students and staff who are directly or indirectly affected by the situation in Gaza and Israel. We offer students and employees who are in need of counseling. Our employees can contact (intranet, login required). This tool allows students to see where they can go. Students who find themselves in financial difficulty as a result of the situation in Gaza & Israel can of course appeal to our Emergency Fund.

In case of immediate threat, call emergency assistance

Is there an immediate physical threat (urgent/life threatening)?

• If you are on campus, dial 0031 030-253 4444 for emergency assistance and life-threatening situations. This number is not intended for general, non-acute questions about safety.
• If you are not on campus, dial 112 for emergency assistance and life-threatening situations.

No urgency?

If there is no urgency, you can contact security via our UU Control Room (24/7) at: 030 253 1300 or via meldkamer@uu.nl.

Do you have a question or report related to the situation at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ in the context of the demonstrations and/or the Israel/Hamas conflict? You can report this via info@uu.nl.

You can do so via the page Talk in confidence, report or file a complaint.

Since the end of August, meetings about the situation in Gaza and/or Israel can again be organized in the university buildings in the city center. For activities that are extra-curricular and not part of the regular curriculum, there are a number of conditions. These conditions apply at least until the beginning of next year.

The conditions are:

• The meeting must be pre-registered with C&F/security via cf.evenementen@uu.nl.
• There is a maximum of 40 - 50 participants
• Meetings can be organized in premises designated by security
• Pre-registration for the meeting is mandatory
• Security assists with access control at the door

These conditions do not apply in advance for these types of meetings organized at the USP. For these activities, it is assessed situationally whether additional measures or conditions are necessary. Therefore, these types of activities must also be registered in advance with security.

The extra conditions apply to all extracurricular activities related to Gaza and/or Israel. The same conditions apply to all such events. This means that arrangements will be made with organizers regarding attendance, registration and choice of location. Security is the point of contact for organizers (cf.security@uu.nl), but applications are discussed more broadly.

Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ values academic freedom and therefore wants to provide space for the exchange of ideas. The decision to temporarily apply extra measures around specific activities was not taken lightly for this reason.

We take into account that an activity such as a lecture, meeting or debate can degenerate into disorder or even an occupation. The risks this entails in terms of safety and the disruption of primary processes, for example, mean that extra measures apply temporarily.

UU does not ask organizers to share who has signed up for an activity. However, UU does ask organizers of all extracurricular activities related to Gaza and/or Israel to work with sign-ups This is due to the limitations on attendance. Working with sign-ups will avoid disappointing people at the door because the space is full The list of attendees is not shared with security, so only the organization has insight into who has registered. A colleague from security is present at the event to - if necessary - support the check of registrations at the door.

The measures apply at least until the beginning of next year. After that, we will see if and for what period they will be extended.

Demonstrating peacefully is appropriate in a democracy and also at an academic institution. Occupying a building or grounds does not necessarily adhere to the rules and responsibilities around demonstrations at UU.

Our buildings are dedicated to teaching, research and operations that support it. Occupying a building can interfere with the university's ability to perform our primary mission of facilitating teaching and research.

At the start of the occupations in 2024, the closing time of the building was always immediately indicated, and the house rules that were effective at that time were pointed out. These principles were not sufficiently heeded during the May 7, 8 and 15 occupations. Moreover, the regular and emergency exits were blocked from the inside. The buildings were not accessible to our security staff, and if e.g. a fire would have broken out, it was also not possible for the protesters to get out quickly. Thus, security could not be guaranteed.

Contact was made several times at each occupation to engage in conversation with a delegation of the protesters. Conversations were often not possible or only possible to a very limited extent. The Executive Board is responsible for the safety of employees and students on university grounds and buildings. The moment safety could no longer be guaranteed, people were asked to leave. Those requests were repeated several times on May 7, 8 and 15, including in the form of a formal demand.

Most of the students and staff complied with those requests during the protests and occupations, leaving on their own at some point. Unfortunately, a small number of protesters chose not to heed the repeated call to leave the building or grounds. It feels like a loss that some people had to be forcibly removed by police to end the occupation.

Read more about this in the interview with College President Anton Pijpers about the demonstrations.

• Pro-Palestine protesters are demanding that universities, including Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, take a clear position. The universities’ neutral position would suggest stance. The protesters condemn Israeli attacks in Gaza as genocide and demand that Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ speak out clearly against it.
• In doing so, the protesters demand transparency on cooperation with Israeli universities, research bodies, organizations and companies.
• It calls for freezing, breaking or boycotting institutional partnerships with Israeli institutions.

Pro-Palestine protesters are demanding that universities, including Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, take a clear position. The universities’ neutral position would suggest stance. The protesters condemn Israeli attacks in Gaza as genocide and demand that Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ speak out clearly against it.

• View Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ's statement towards the conflict.

In doing so, the protesters demand transparency on cooperation with Israeli universities, research bodies, organizations and companies.

• We do not believe that ending or freezing all contact with a country's educational institutions is a solution. We think it is important to remain in dialogue with students and colleagues from conflict zones, because it is precisely they who can contribute to change from within. A review of collaborations with Israeli institutes was published on May 17. In the coming period, these collaborations will once again be critically evaluated. If it appears that certain academic ties and exchange collaborations contribute to (the continuation of) the cycle of violence, this will lead to the freezing of the collaboration. In light of recent developments, the UU will test new collaborations on the basis of our knowledge security assessment framework, which also explicitly addresses human rights and ethical aspects.

It calls for freezing, breaking or boycotting any partnerships with Israeli institutions.

We do not believe that ending or freezing all contact with a country's educational institutions is a solution. We think it is important to remain in dialogue with students and colleagues from conflict zones, because it is precisely they who can contribute to change from within.

Due to the occupations and their termination, there are some damages to our premises and belongings inside. These do not appear to be purposeful vandalism by the protesters, apart from texts written on the walls. These can (probably) be removed again. So the damage has been limited.

Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ has not filed charges of housebreaking because the effort has been focused continuously on de-escalation.

From various sides we are called upon to take a (political) stand for or against one of the parties involved. In our judgment, such a stance does not suit us as a university. We offer space to share insights and information, express concerns and share opinions. Because these are topics that affect us, these can be difficult, uncomfortable and/or painful conversations. We believe it is essential that Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ is and remains a safe place for all our students and staff, regardless of their origin, background or political beliefs. We encourage and facilitate independent thinking, critical debate and thoughtful analysis, in the hope that this results in solutions, innovations and ideas about how things can be done differently. We encourage our scientists to share their expertise with society as they play an important role in interpreting the ongoing conflict.

View the statement Executive Board and deans

Check the central government website for current travel advice to  (in Dutch) and the  (in Dutch).

We do not think that ending or freezing all contact with educational institutions of a country is a solution. We think it is important to remain in dialogue with students and colleagues from conflict areas, because it is precisely they who can also contribute to change from within.

Soon after the invasion of Ukraine, Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, like all other Dutch universities, froze ties with Russian and Belarusian educational institutions at the urgent request of the Dutch government and European Union as part of the international sanctions. However, we see the negative effect this has on contacts with Russian researchers, including scholars critical of the regime. This leads us to understand that this measure is not always desirable.

As an academic institution, we are deeply concerned about the destruction of the academic infrastructure in Gaza. Precisely because students and scientists can make such an essential contribution to positive change. We will therefore explore ways in which Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ can contribute to rebuilding the educational and academic infrastructure. We are open to suggestions in this regard, and will join with other universities/UNL in advocating that OCW also make efforts in this regard.