A protest in Groningen against higher education budget cuts was held on Thursday without incident despite a similar protest being cancelled in Utrecht in fear of violence.
The protest was originally meant to be a solidarity rally with a main national protest taking place in Utrecht. However, the protest in Utrecht was cancelled for safety reasons after local authorities alleged that an unnamed pro-Palestine group could hijack the demonstration.
The government has already introduced big budget cuts for universities, which will lower the quality of education. They also plan to introduce a fine of €3,000 for bachelor’s and master’s degree students who take longer than the set time to finish their degree.
Despite rumours of similar threats in Groningen, the organisers of the satellite protest forgd ahead with their plans. The protest took place at Groningen’s Grote Markt and ended without incident.
The main organisers, Groninger Studentenbond (GSB) thanked attendees for coming and letting their voices be heard.
“The Hague needs to see that we are done with them! This policy sucks. Our fight isn’t over, join us!,” the GSB wrote on Facebook.
Photo: Djawi de Boer//GSB
