As the Israeli army advances in Rafah and takes control of the border crossing to Egypt, the international protest at universities against Israel’s ruthless actions in Gaza is spreading from New York and Paris to Berlin. Now, teachers and faculty are rallying to defend their students, including the Free University of Berlin.
There was an occupation by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the Berlin’s Free University on May 7, after which teaching was temporarily suspended and the libraries and canteen were closed. Then, in the early afternoon, the police began clearing the protest camp. This took place without prior notice or dialogue, according to the blog Lost in Europe. Professors and researchers are protesting against this with a statement:
“As teachers at Berlin’s universities, our self-image obliges us to accompany our students on an equal footing, but also to protect them and never to hand them over to police violence.
