Vienna police dismantle Gaza campus protests

Austrian police cleared the pro-Palestine protest camp on the capital's main university campus on Thursday (May 9). According to law enforcement, the eviction at the Altes AKH (University of Vienna) was peaceful. 

Police said the reason behind the clearing was what they referred to as the increasing number of radical statements made by demonstrators, while the protests had passed the point where the right to freedom of expression could be defended.

Around 40 people had been camping on the Altes AKH campus since Monday, calling on Austrian universities to cut ties with Israeli institutions or any companies supplying Israel with weapons.

A few hours before the eviction, one of the protesting campers told CGTN that she could not say what the police would do "but (that) as of now what we can say is we will not escalate."

READ MORE:

Are we any closer to recreating the Sun's energy?

Why an Austrian heiress wants to give away her $27.3 million fortune

Words of wisdom: How to make the most delicious soup

Previously, Austria's law enforcement had communicated that there was no legal possibility of breaking up the rally, given the country's free right to assemble. 

The University of Vienna firmly distanced itself from the campers, saying that anti-semitism and what it called the trivialisation of terror had no place on campus. One aspect that proved divisive was the camp's slogan - 'intifada.'

Head of the Vienna University students union, Nora Hasam, told CGTN that "It (intifada) is meant to favor their (Jews') expulsion, even if it is not the direct translation. But that is exactly what it semantically implies. As a result, Jewish students don't feel comfortable here on campus, with good reason."

Protesters on the other hand, including some who are Jewish themselves, said intifada simply means uprising.

"Obviously we stand against all forms of racism including antisemitism," a female protester told CGTN. "There are Jewish activists here, I am one of them. And we stand together because of our solidarity with Palestine because we are against genocide and because we think that our voices need to be heard as well."

Demonstrations against the conflict in Gaza have spread to several European universities. 

In response to the widespread student protests, some academic institutions are considering divestment from Israel. The University of Vienna has not done the same.

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday