Bulldozer used to remove pro-Palestinian protesters at Amsterdam University

The Dutch police used a bulldozer to remove pro-Palestinian protestors from the University of Amsterdam and detained around 125 activists and protestors on Tuesday. It also released a statement on X that these steps were “necessary to restore order” as the protests had turned violent.

A video on social media shows the riot police using a bulldozer to remove the barricades set up by pro-Palestine students and officers wielding batons and shields to drive away the protesters. Protesters were seen being beaten up and tents being removed.

“The protest in this form created a very unsafe situation, partly due to the barricades that prevented emergency services from entering the site,” the police statement said.

A university person also said, while they supported the protests throughout the day, they could not permit students to do the same through the night. These protesters were also demanding that the university terminate academic ties with Israel, according to The New Arab.

The students in the Dutch capital started the demonstrations after the protests spread from US university campuses to cities in Europe.

The students chanted pro-Palestinian slogans like “free Palestine” on the university campus.

Policemen have been injured in these protests, reported Reuters. “We see the footage on social media. We understand that those images may appear as intense,” the police said.

Education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf said he was saddened to see such violence in universities that are places for discourse and discussion.