UPDATE: Demonstration against higher education cuts cancelled; sign the petition
The national demonstration against higher education cuts on 14 November in Utrecht will not go ahead. Utrecht Mayor Dijksma has advised the organisers to cancel the protest. The Utrecht 'triangle' (mayor, police and Public Prosecution Service) says it has received information that pro-Palestinian demonstrators want to 'hijack' the protest, as stated in a letter to the city council. As the safety of the demonstrators cannot be guaranteed, the organisers have decided to follow the mayor's advice.
The Universities of the Netherlands said it was a ‘massive letdown’ that the protest had been cancelled. Read the full response (in Dutch). Annetje Ottow said on LinkedIn, ‘What so many had worked so hard for, the education protest, has been cancelled. That really hurts. What could have been the biggest demonstration for protecting good research and education in the Netherlands cannot go ahead. We will continue to make our voice heard: these cuts are disastrous – not just for the education sector itself but for the Netherlands as a country of knowledge.’
Sign the petition
Signing the petition against the cuts is still possible. Also read the regular updates provided by the Executive Board on the impact of the budget cuts on Leiden University
THE TEXT BELOW IS AN EARLIER MESSAGE. THE PROTEST HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Students and staff from Leiden University are demonstrating in Utrecht on 14 November against the billions in cuts to higher education. ‘The cuts are a terrible idea and we want to show why’, says Claire Weeda from WOinActie. ‘Research and teaching are essential to society.’
The demonstration is being organised by the FNV, CNV, Algemene Onderwijsbond and LSVB unions together with partners including WOinActie. ‘During the protest, we want to show how important research and teaching are for all of society’, says Claire Weeda, who is involved in WOinActie and an assistant professor at the Institute for History. ‘Training teachers, nurses and engineers, for example, or discovering new medicines. The damage caused by the cuts will come as a nasty surprise to the population.’
Budget discussed at the end of November
The protest will be held before the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s budget is discussed in the House of Representatives and Senate. ‘There has been some criticism in the Senate of these cuts and the government does not have a majority there’, says Weeda. ‘That makes it crucial for masses of us to show in Utrecht that we condemn these cuts.’
Executive Board and deans support the protest
The Executive Board and deans support this protest. They are calling on students and staff from Leiden University to come to Utrecht and have their voices heard. Where possible, they have freed up their calendars and nearly all will be joining the protest. The same applies to the faculty boards. The university will pay its staff’s travel expenses. You can use the new Shuttel card for this.
Mobilise people
People are being mobilised to come to Utrecht on 14 November in various ways: through university app groups and teaching staff telling students about the demonstration in lectures, but also through external contacts, for instance with alumni, cultural organisations and local schools. ‘The cuts will also affect future students. The programme they may be considering may no longer exist by then. Others will be affected by the late graduation penalty, which can make studying much more expensive.’
And the universities are talking to politicians to explain just how disastrous the effects of the cuts will be. The government has promised to tackle society’s problems and yet it is cutting the budget of the degree programmes and research that are essential to this.
Video: Will you be there too?
Staff members Rosalien van der Poel, Renske Janssen, Roderik Gerritsen, Arnout van Ree, Jan Joost Aten and Tanja de Bie are calling on students and staff from Leiden University to join the protest on 14 November against the higher education cuts.
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Watch the video on the original website orWhere will the demonstration on 14 November be held?
The demonstration in Utrecht is expected to be the biggest ever in higher education. ‘I think the gravity of the cuts and what is hanging over our heads is beginning to hit home with more and more students and staff’, says Weeda.
The protest will be held on Thursday 14 November, from 13.00 to 15.00 hours. Protestors will gather at Moreelsepark in Utrecht and will march to Domplein, where the programme will continue with music and speakers.
If you are taking action in some other way, do let us know.