Activists have once again occupied rooms at a Berlin university in support of the Palestinians and in protest against Israel. The police and a dpa photographer initially spoke of around 50 people who were at the Humboldt University’s Institute for Social Sciences from the afternoon onwards.
Another 250 to 300 young people demonstrated on the street in front of it. A police spokesman said they were in close coordination with the university.
University administration speaks to occupiers
The executive board of the Humboldt University sought talks with the activists in the evening. A spokeswoman for the university said the occupiers had accepted an offer from the executive board to talk. The aim is for the activists to leave voluntarily and for there to be no eviction. The police were on duty and cordoned off parts of the building.
In a statement, the activists of the group called Student Coalition Berlin accused Israel of “genocide” and “ongoing mass murders.” It’s about “unconditional solidarity with the Palestinian people.” The activists called on the university to accept their occupation and presence and to prohibit police intervention.
The Humboldt University is one of the three large universities in the German capital, alongside the Free University (FU) and the Technical University (TU). An occupation of rooms at the FU by the Student Coalition Berlin group was recently cleared by the police. There have recently been pro-Palestinian protests not only at universities in Berlin, some in the form of camps.