Belgium police disperse pro-Palestine protest

Police in Belgium removed students from the campus of the Free University of Brussels yesterday, where they had been staging a sit-in for a month and a half in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Quds Press has reported, citing local media.

The official Belgian news agency (Belga) reported on Tuesday that police intervened in the morning to end the continuous sit-in on the campus. The police dismantled the tents, tore down banners and removed the protesting students.

In response to the student’s demands, the university administration announced on 28 May that it would suspend academic relations with Israel until it complies with the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Recently, university president Annemie Schaus stated that the sit-in had “exceeded its purpose” and requested that the building be vacated as soon as possible.

According to student posts on social media, the police intervention to disperse the sit-in was described as “harsh”.

The wave of student protests, which began in the United States, has now spread globally, with new universities joining the pro-Palestinian movement and opposing the Israeli aggression in Gaza. Thousands of students at many universities worldwide have demonstrated in support of the Palestinians, and called for an end to economic partnerships with Israeli universities.

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