Eleven arrests after climate and disarmament demonstration at Delft Career Days

[Update 17:08: this article was altered twice after first being published at 18 February, 15:48 because of new developments]

A protest on Tuesday announced by End Fossil Delft-Leiden and Delft Student Intifada turned into a blockade of the entrance. After the police took action, the people who had not obeyed the order to leave were removed from the premises and taken away by bus a little before 16:00 in the afternoon. Ten were arrested as they had forced their way into the building without permission. Another activist is charged with abusing two TU Delft staff members, write the police on X (in Dutch).

The reason for the protest was the Delft Career Days’ job market that will be there until Wednesday. After one year of being banned, the job market board decided that fossil fuel companies were again welcome this year. The activists also targeted companies that have ties with the arms industry, and in particular companies that supply weapons to Israel.

As announced, the activists gathered in front of the Aula at around 12:30 for the demonstration and speeches. When it ended, they moved to the entrance and sat down in front of the doors. The blocked doors could not be used anymore. This was the intention a spokesperson confirmed to Delta there. “The idea was that no one can go in or out of the usual entrance anymore. The point is to create an obstacle, to make it more difficult and to get students to think.”

The activists demanded that the Delft Career Days ban companies that violate human rights or facilitate others to do so, and companies that violate the Paris Climate Agreement.

PVC pipes

The protesters had fastened themselves to each other using a ‘lock-on’ technique. The spokesperson explained that in this case they used PVC pipes in which they put their arms – two in each pipe – so that several people were connected to each other. To remove the protesters, the pipes needed to be cut. That turned out to be unnecessary as the demonstrators that remained seated were put into the bus with the lock-ons.

As the activists were outside and not inside the building, TU Delft initially said that it would not take action. When the blockade started, TU Delft’s Safety and Security Department called in the police as ‘dialogue’ was impossible, said the spokesperson. At that point, some activists were in the hall just inside the main entrance to the Aula. Ten of them have been arrested for unlawful entry. A spokesperson for the pressure groups informed Delta that they were brought to a parking lot and were probably able to go home.

The back entrance was closed to streamline entry to the Delft Career Days. Chair Matthijs Roos said that after the blockade the check-in system was moved to the side entrance of the building. The footbridge to Applied Sciences remained open. Roos did not go into the demands of the protesters. “We have our own reasons for selecting companies, and we communicated this in advance.”