The protest organized this week by WOinActie has brought urgent issues to the fore. Discussions in the media have taken up multiple aspects of the current situation.

This morning our students have occupied an UvA building, the P.C. Hoofthuis, now renamed as the Post-Colonial House of the Autonomous University of Amsterdam. They thereby underline the urgency of the ongoing protests and increase the pressure on government, parties, and the decision-makers at the UvA. Past experience has shown that political gains are only achieved if different forms of protest combine.

Additionally, the students have formulated a list of demands which goes beyond the ones which were at the heart of this week’s WOinActie protest. They demand very specific, and reasonable, measures which could alleviate the unbearable workload and demoralization at Dutch universities, and which would simultaneously contribute to a more democratic and more inclusive academic culture. So the students also remind everybody of some of the key concerns of the 2015 Maagdenhuis protests, which are still not appropriately taken up or even taken seriously by management, despite their promises and rhetoric.

One might disagree with some of the students’ demands or with the form or timing of their action. We think, however, that there is sufficient reason to support their action, in order to broaden the discussion about a better university, and to increase the pressure on all those who are responsible for cutting our budgets, multiplying our bureaucratic tasks, and heightening competition and hierarchies. The Hague is only one, however important, target for these pleas. Therefore we strongly hope that, this time, the UvA CvB, which says they are in solidarity with the demands of students and staff, will refrain from using brutal police action against legitimate protest. For our part, we pledge to closely monitor and, where possible, prevent any such unwarranted repression.

In solidarity,

 

  • Lucia Admiraal

  • Peyman Amiri (Cultural Analysis)

  • Joran van Apeldoorn (QuSoft & CWI)

  • Murat Aydemir (Cultural Analysis)

  • Ugur Aytac (Political Science)

  • Anne Bannink (Linguistics)

  • Francesco Battaglia (Neuroscience, Radboud University)

  • Josephine van den Bent (History)

  • Christian Bertram (Art History)

  • Carolyn Birdsall (Media Studies)

  • Joost de Bloois (Literary and Cultural Analysis)

  • George Blaustein (History)

  • Isene Boudrie (GPIO)

  • Farid Boussaid (Political Science)

  • Iris Breetvelt (Kohnstamm Instituut UvA BV)

  • Petra Brouwer (Art History)

  • Renske van Bronswijk (Communication Science)

  • Mark Bruyneel

  • Frans Camphuijsen (History)

  • Eveline Citron-Schlatmann (Russian and Slavic Studies)

  • Robin Celikates (Philosophy)

  • Chiara De Cesari (European Studies)

  • Daniel DeRock (Political Science)

  • Jeff Diamanti (Cultural Analysis)

  • Gijs van Donselaar (Philosophy)

  • Margreet Dorleijn (Linguistics)

  • Brian Droop (Economics and Business)

  • Alex Drace-Francis (European Studies)

  • Rachel Esner (Art History)

  • Carolina Frossard (Human Geography, Planning, and International Development Department)

  • Josef Früchtl (Philosophy)

  • Abe Geil (Media Studies)

  • Guy Geltner (History)

  • Rene Gerrets (Anthropology)

  • Joyce Goggin (Literary Studies)

  • Erella Grassiani (Anthropology)

  • Francio Guadeloupe (Anthropology)

  • Wouter J. Hanegraaff (History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents)

  • Tina Harris (Anthropology)

  • Margriet van Heesch (Sociology & Anthropology)

  • Rutger Helmers (Musicology)

  • Rianne Hermans (history)

  • Joke Hermes (Media Studies)

  • David Hollanders

  • Anthony van Inge

  • Peyman Jafari (History)

  • Rivke Jaffe (Dept. of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies)

  • Yolande Jansen (Philosophy)

  • Kristine Johanson (English Language & Culture)

  • Artemy Kalinovsky (History)

  • Barak Kalir (Anthropology)

  • Mariwan Kanie (Arabisch)

  • Machiel Keestra (Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies)

  • Nathan van Kleij (Geschiedenis)

  • Jaap Kooijman (Media Studies)

  • Daniel Knegt (Geschiedenis)

  • Kristine Krause (Anthropology)

  • Aylin Kuryel (Cultural Analysis)

  • Gregor Langfeld (Art History)

  • Michiel Leezenberg (Philosophy)

  • Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes (Art History)

  • Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures/HvA)

  • Christiaan Luigjes (AISSR)

  • R. Lučić Lutz (Russian and Slavic Studies)

  • Virginie Mamadouh (Geography)

  • Niall Martin (Literary and Cultural Analysis)

  • Amade M’charek (Anthropology)

  • Eef Masson (Media Studies)

  • Vivienne Matthies-Boon (Political Sciences)

  • Julie McBrien (Anthropology)

  • Marga van Mechelen (Kunstgeschiedenis)

  • Kasia Mika (LCA)

  • Ansgar Mohnkern (German)

  • Niels Niessen (Cultural Analysis)

  • Boris Noordenbos (Literary and Cultural Analysis)

  • Arjen Noordhof (Psychology)

  • Paola Gori Giorgi (Chemistry, VU)

  • Christian Gosvig Olesen (Media Studies)

  • Sanne van Oosten (Political Science)

  • Arent van Nieukerken

  • Toni Pape (Media Studies)

  • Marco Pasi (Religious Studies)

  • Dimitris Pavlopoulos (Sociology VU)

  • Mark Peters (chairman BLG-VU FNV Overheid)

  • Thomas Poel (Media Studies)

  • Djuke Poppinga (Arabisch)

  • Roland Pfau (Linguistics)

  • Amy Renckens (Intersectional Social Sciences)

  • Claudia Roeck

  • Noa Roei (Literary and Cultural Analysis)

  • Caroline Roset (Arabisch)

  • Enzo Rossi (Political Science)

  • Kati Röttger (Theatre Sciences)

  • Ellen Rutten (Literature)

  • Ida Sabelis (Culture, Organization and Management, VU)

  • Yatun Sastramidjaja (Anthropology)

  • Pytrik Schafraad (Communication Science)

  • Natalie Scholz (History)

  • Patricia Schor (Social Sciences – AUC)
  • Rachel Spronk (Anthropology)

  • Bala Sruti (Theatre Studies)

  • Markus Stauff (Media Studies)

  • Jenny Stelleman (Russische en Slavische talen en Culturen)

  • Luisa Steur (Anthropology)

  • Klaas Stutje (History)

  • Harm Hendrik ten Napel

  • Jan Teurlings (Media Studies)

  • Barbara Titus (Musicology)

  • Lonneke van der Velden (Media Studies)

  • Karen Vintges (Philosophy)

  • Marco de Waard, Amsterdam University College (AUC)

  • Claire Weeda (History)

  • Julienne Weegels (Latin American Studies, CEDLA)

  • Robert Woltering (Semitic Languages)

  • Rose van der Zwaard (Literary and Cultural Analysis)

  • Timothy Yaczo (Cultural Analysis)

 

(115 signatures on Saturday 7 October 19.39)