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Police break up University of Amsterdam's student protest against Gaza genocide
Meanwhile, Ireland's Communists praise Trinity College Dublin students after university accepts all their demands
Students gather for a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 7, 2024

POLICE violently broke up a protest by pro-Palestinian activists at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Wednesday in a second straight day of unrest over the Gaza genocide.

After police had ended a blockade on university grounds, hundreds of demonstrators moved to a nearby square to continue protesting late into the evening, demanding an end to the war. Some asked the university to sever academic relations with Israel.

It was unclear if and how many people were injured during the scuffles and how many detained.

Utrecht University, 30 miles south, also saw students occupy a university building to protest against Israel’s brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

Student protests have been gaining momentum across Europe, following similar actions in the US universities where several encampments have spread out.

In Dublin the Communist Party of Ireland praised the actions of student protesters at Trinity College, which has agreed to the students’ demands to divest from Israeli firms.

“The action of Trinity students was well organised, well targeted, and showed good understanding of the operations of capitalist university institutions,” the party said.

“It built upon continuous organising work of the student union and the BDS Society, as well as strong support and solidarity from other groups in Dublin and across Ireland.

“The students were supported by all trade unions organising college staff, an important milestone in Student Union organisers’ hard work in establishing solidarity between students and staff.”

Israel launched its most recent attack on Gaza following Hamas’s terror attack on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people. Israeli forces have since killed over 34,000 Palestinians.

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