Gent students mark Nakba amid ongoing building occupation

Students at Belgium's University of Gent held a bicycle parade to mark the Nakba anniversary.

Nakba means catastrophe in Arabic and is a term used to describe the mass expulsion of Palestinians from what is now Israel, 76 years ago. 

Shouting 'Free Palestine,' a few dozen students cycled around the campus to protest against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. 

Wednesday's demonstration is part of a wider protest currently underway at the university. Since May 6 more than 100 students have occupied a building on campus calling on the university to provide greater transparency regarding its links with Israeli institutions.

They have also demanded the university authorities cut ties with Israeli entities which, it says, are complicit in the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. 

Protests have been taking place across a number of universities in Belgium mirroring demonstrations that have engulfed some high-profile academic institutions in the U.S. over recent weeks.  

"We have extended our solidarity with them," said Joelle, a member of Gent Students for Palestine who has been part of the building occupation in Gent since May 6.

"We try to send them messages of support and, of course, it is wonderful and empowering to see that this is happening not only in the U.S. but also within Belgium itself."

In the Netherlands, the university of Amsterdam has shut most of its campus buildings for two days following protests on Monday, citing security concerns. According to officials there, demonstrations held on campus last week caused roughly $1.6 million in damage. 

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Protesters in Gent say there has been little progress in talks with university officials. Gent University rector Rik Van de Walle said he shares in the concerns about the underlying problems in the region but added that third-party collaborators which the university works with are subject to a thorough human rights test.

In a recent statement he said: "The Gent University Board of Directors decided during its meeting of May 3, 2024 that the Gent University policy on human rights will be maintained as it currently is, and that no deviation from the existing human rights policy will be applied with regard to one specific country, in case Israel."

The student occupation in Gent doesn't just focus on the situation in Gaza. Students also want more definite steps taken by the university when it comes to its 2030 climate action plans.

"We have clear demands with regards to our university's committing to a sustainability plan, clear demands with regards to them cutting ties with Israeli institutions. And unless these demands are met, we are going to continue occupying," Joelle said.

On Monday more than 60 staff and faculty members joined the students and have also set up tents in the building's lobby. 

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