Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Around 80 pro-Palestinian activists, led by Bas, blocked Ghent University’s rectorate, demanding a full academic boycott of Israel. They claim UGent broke its 2024 promise to cut ties.
As VRT News reported, some 80 pro-Palestinian activists blocked the rectorate in Ghent. The entrance to the building is closed off with barriers. The activists want to make a bigger point. Bas, who speaks for the group, says this is part of a campaign across Belgium. Students from other universities, like Leuven, Brussels, and Liège, have joined.
They want all Belgian universities to stop working with Israeli institutions, not just Ghent. They believe that any connection, even if it’s not directly with the military, helps support a state they say is affecting human rights. By making this a national issue, the activists hope to get all the leaders in Belgium to take a clear position on the matter.
Why are activists blocking the UGent rectorate over Israel ties?
The protesters want a complete academic boycott of Israel. They want it to be like the strong punishments put on Russia after it invaded Ukraine. They believe that anything less is like helping out. Bas said they want to pressure the Israeli government by using sanctions, just like they did with Russia.
They want all ties cut off immediately because they say Israel has been committing genocide against Palestinians for a year. To make their point, the activists have blocked the building where the university leaders work. People can leave, but they can’t go back in.
The university’s leader has closed the entrance gate. The police are there, but they haven’t stepped in yet. Activists are using a peaceful but disruptive way to keep the issue in the news until the university takes action.
“How long we will continue to protest here will depend entirely on the response of the university, the protesters, and any action taken by the police,”
Bas said.
Since May 2024, Ghent University has been under pressure from pro-Palestinian activists who want the university to stop collaborating with Israeli institutions. This pressure increased when students occupied a university building near the rectorate for over a month.
During this time, the students demanded that the university end its relationships with Israeli academic and governmental institutions that were accused of human rights violations against Palestinians.
The university then reached an agreement to end ongoing institutional collaborations, specifically within 12 research projects under the EU’s Horizon Europe program and one Erasmus+ educational exchange program. Ghent University publicly stated that it would assess each partnership and cut ties with any institution that was demonstrably involved in serious breaches of international law.
A year after Ghent University promised to cut ties with some Israeli institutions, student activists say the university hasn’t kept its word. According to Bas, no collaborations have been stopped. Bas claims that the university has even started 2 new partnerships with Israeli institutions. The activists believe this is a broken promise and a failure to act ethically.
The university says it will only end collaborations with institutions that are “structurally involved” in serious violations of international law. This approach has been criticised by activists, who argue it allows the university to continue supporting the Israeli state’s actions against Palestinians.
