A court in the East Flemish city of Ghent has ruled that the pro-Palestinian protesters that have been staging a sit-in at Ghent University’s (UGent) UFO Building for over a month should not be evicted for the time being. The university had filed for an eviction order, claiming the situation at the building was unsafe. The judge did not follow the university’s reasoning and said that the activists had a right to demonstrate peacefully.
The judge pointed to the peaceful nature of the protest and the absence of vandalism or violence. “The university is pre-eminently a place where protest and social debate should be possible”.
‘UGent cannot prove that there has been incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination nor that the protest is unreasonable.’ The court also refered to the complex international context that had led to the protest, adding that an “escalation” referred to by the university when the building that houses the Vice-Chancellor’s office was stormed on 24 May was separate from the protest at the UFO building.
The court also pointed out that UGent staff are still able to carry out their work in the UFO Building and that teaching is still able to continue there for the students that aren’t protesting. The university’s argument that there could be security issues due to the sit-in was deemed to be not proven by the court.
Protesters euphoric
Protesters euphoric
The activists are euphoric. Their spokesperson Rudi told journalists that "This proves that our action makes sense, the court has followed our reasoning across the board”.
Previously UGent had given the activists until noon on Wednesday to voluntarily end their sit-in. However, they didn’t comply. A bailiff visited the UFO Building on Wednesday afternoon and the procedure was started for a mandatory eviction.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor Rik Van de Walle said that he had no other choice than to seek an eviction order. An attempt at mediation by the Ghent Imam Khalid Benhaddou failed to reach a compromise that would satisfy both the university and the protesting students.