On Tuesday, a group of activists entered one of our buildings belonging to the Faculty of Science, the Goudsmit Pavilion. The activists then occupied the building. The technical installations present in the building pose a risky and potentially life-threatening situation for non-experts. This meant that the safety of the activists inside was at risk. Because we were very concerned about this, the dean, staff of the Goudsmit Pavilion and members of the Executive Board urged the activists to leave the building voluntarily. We tried to maintain contact with the activists in various ways.
When this contact did not result in the activists leaving the building voluntarily, we informed the security triangle ('veiligheidsdriehoek') due to the acute risk situation. They assessed the security situation and decided to put an end to the occupation. José Sanders, on behalf of the Executive Board: “This has affected us all deeply. More than ever before, this was a situation in which people – activists – were putting their lives at risk. We were very concerned about this. For us, everyone's safety was always the most important thing.”
An inspection of the building is currently underway to assess the state in which it was left, whether any damage has been caused and the condition of the equipment. We are focusing our attention on staff and students who have been affected by this. We will share more information via the liveblog.