Pro-Palestine protesters occupy German university campus

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) – A group of pro-Palestine protesters on Tuesday occupied parts of Leipzig University in the German state of Saxony in solidarity with the people of Gaza, local media reported, citing an unnamed university spokesperson.

Tents are set up on the campus courtyard in the afternoon, and about 50 to 60 people have occupied them in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli bombardment for more than seven months.

Eyewitnesses described the situation as tense, with all entrances to Leipzig University blocked.

The Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper also reported fights between protesters and university students.

The police were informed by the university administration in the afternoon, who are reportedly preparing for a raid. According to reports, garbage cans are used to barricade the university building's doors.

A group called "Palestine Campus" shared a photo on social media of a banner with a message about the Gaza conflict and two masked people. A message was also distributed to the media.

In a statement, the group strongly condemned the Israeli army attacks on Gaza.

“In solidarity with the Palestinian people, we, the Leipzig students, have set up our camp on the grounds of the University of Leipzig and occupied the largest lecture hall, the Audimax.”

In the letter, the group made several demands on the university, including that it disclose its relationships with Israel, discontinue cooperation with Israeli institutions, and boycott all partners. Furthermore, the university should issue a public statement on the Gaza conflict.

Earlier in the day, German police began forcibly clearing a pro-Palestine student encampment on the Free University of Berlin campus.

Following the university administration's call for local police to break up the encampment, law enforcement used brutal physical force on demonstrators and arrested scores of them.

The protest camp was set up on Tuesday morning by more than 100 students to protest Israel’s war on Gaza, and its military’s recent ground incursion into the crowded southern city of Rafah.

Later, around 300 students and protesters gathered on campus to voice support for the Palestinian people.

Wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags, the students shouted slogans such as “Free, free Palestine!,” "Israel is a terrorist state," and "Shame on you Germany.”

Demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli siege in Gaza have spread across university campuses in the US and Europe in recent weeks.

More than 2,000 people have been arrested at US campuses since April 18, amid heavily polarized debates over the right to protest, the limits of free speech and accusations of antisemitism.

But while clashes and standoffs with police at New York’s Columbia University, Portland State and UCLA have captured global attention, demonstrations and sit-ins are also being held on campuses in parts of Europe, including France, Britain and Switzerland.

Although protesters' demands vary by university, the vast majority of demonstrations have called for colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and the Gaza war.