Police clears up occupied lecture hall at the Free University of Berlin

Police clears up occupied lecture hall at the Free University of Berlin

lecture hall evacuation at the Free University of Berlin: Solidarity for Palestine ends without violence

On Tuesday evening, there was an evacuation at the Free University of Berlin (FU), in which the police cleared a lecture hall occupied by propalestinian activists. The evacuation was free of violence, and the people were led peacefully outside. It was a group of up to 30 people who made demands that were regarded by the university as not justifiable. This included the immediate withdrawal of criminal charges and the employment of cooperation with Israeli universities.

The university management offered discussions, but emphasized the need for the people to leave the lecture hall. When the protesters refused to leave the room, the police were asked for help. The evacuation was completed at 9:45 p.m. and ads were filed against 27 people. There were damage to property, and the lecture hall was accessible throughout.

The ProtestCamp, which ended on Tuesday after 19 days, was an initiative of student groups of the Palestine Acidification for an open discussion forum about the events in the Gaza Strip and the repression against student protests. Although the camp achieved its goal of enabling critical discussions, the university did not respond to the demand for a public conversation.

The evacuation marks the end of a solidarity protest for Palestine at the FU and shows the challenges in the mediation of controversial topics in the university world. Despite the differences between the activists and the university management, evacuation ended without incidents, which emphasizes the peaceful coexistence of different points of view. - nag