Values that can't be quantified: Statement on the appropriation up till now.
Over the last week statements from all around world have reached us. From London to Italy, from Australia to Toronto, from Mexico to Australia. Universities all around the world have started occupations, sit-ins, walk-outs and protests or reached out to us to show us their solidarity. These universities have their different issues, from Ofxord occupying for divestment to the London School of Arts occupying against budget cuts, but they are united in their fight for tomorrows education. Even though it's hard to get a uniform picture, all these universities seem to be protecting values that can't be quantified. Values that might not give economic results, values that might weigh on the balance of universities, but vital values nonetheless because they are human, they are inclusive, because they are the values of the civilization we are striving towards. Inside and outside academia.
All these universities are citing the #maagdenhuis as their inspiration and we are delighted with this unintended result of our actions. Every new message lifts our spirits, and nourishes our souls. "Toronto in the house" someone shouts "Dublin has posted their solidarity!". We cheer, look each other in the eye and realize again that we are trying to change the world. To facilitate this global movement and connect the different universities we've decided to communicate in English more than in Dutch accept for issue that are explicitly local. We encourage the existing actions and hope for new ones to come. A wish we explicit on twitter by the hashtag #whosnext ?
Occupying a building is easy. It starts with five determined people in a room that don't leave when security asks them to do so. What comes next is more difficult: agreeing on demands, negotiating with the board, maintaining a clear image in the press and marching across the institutions. We've been working on this for the last months and we will keep on working in the future. We are not (yet) satisfied with what our board has offered and want to stress the importance of a democratic elected board that can be held accountable and a research of the financial status of the university especially regarding real estate as well as our other demands.
We've noticed that the counterforce has been awakened. Last week 30 of our students were hit by the police in a narrow alley in a way that seems not entirely according to the regulations for student beating. In the media we perceive that the lack of progress in our negotiations with the board leads to a focus on less relevant issues. The frame that some journalists are trying to push is that the protest is seized by "professional radical activist". We would like to know who is paying these people (Russia?) and wether they are currently hiring. We also encourage journalists to actively research this claim and present us the results. In our current view it's different. Although some experienced activist have indeed joined our ranks, the majority consists of students who have found slightly more radical means after the democratic means were exhausted. The wearing of masks during demonstrations for instance has been a reaction of students on the 100.000 euro fines that the board tried to impose on specific students during the occupation of the Bungehuis. Wearing a mask during protests has been necessary for parts of our group although we try to keep an open character.
Our protest has not been a painless process. Students of our 'University of Colour ' department have been threatened and others have been aggressively treated by media. But our movement is not saintly either. We regrettably have heard that one of our group has threatened a journalist of Folia. This does not benefit our movement and we want to fight with more peaceful means. We will try to prevent such incidents in the future but cannot, like a formal organization, control the behaviour of everyone. If such things would happen again we hope they will be reported immediately and solved on the spot.
We have turned the Maagdenhuis into a public place. Apart from the appropriation, apart from the internal and external negotiations and apart from being beaten in a narrow alley, we've run somewhat of a cultural centre over the last three weeks. We've had great speakers such as Gloria Wekker, Joris Luyendijk and David Graeber speaking to large crowds. We've had great bands like de Kift, Jungle by Night and the Mysterious Nomad Travellers (amazing!). We've had theatre workshops, cinema nights and endless discussions on everything. But all these activities should not lead attention away from our political fight.
Because we are an open space we are also currently attracting a minority of mentally fragile people who are attracting attention from the ever story searching media. These people are indeed in small numbers present in the Maagdenhuis, we wouldn't want to hide this if we could for they are part of the society we live in, even if you normally don't see them. Because we are striving towards an open, inclusive and human society we've not excluded anyone up until now and we hope to be able to maintain this . Should this be our pitfall, we will jump in it, consciously and with open eyes. But before we do so we urge media, big and small, to focus on the political process that is occurring, however slow that process may be.
A last word needs to be said about the red square that has become the symbol of this movement that originates from the Quebec protests of 2005. It refers to the English expression "Being squarely in red" which means having a high student debt and experiencing difficulties to pay that. This issue is very relevant in Anglo-Saxon cultures and is of increasing importance in the Netherlands were student subsidies will be cut as of next year resulting in ever increasing debts. This is a vital issue, way more vital than the resonance with some square in Moscow that is, by the way, originally baptized as "The beautiful square". The red square became the symbol of the student protest in Quebec, and it has been adapted by student protests ever since.
May the word spread, may students and professors speak up and address their issues with or without occupation, may we live as if the universities and societies we want are already here.
With hope,
The Maagdenhuis
#maagdenhuis #bungehuis #uva #folia #nos #nrc #studentprotest #protest #hope
