Anti-Israel and anti-NATO protesters disrupted a University of Amsterdam panel with NATO Military Committee chair Rob Bauer on Tuesday, the Admiral and organizers said.
Bauer had been invited to participate in the weekly university interview program Room for Discussion. Still, several minutes in, protesters interrupted the admiral's talk on the Ukraine War and the future demands of war on European society.
Today, a group of anti-NATO protesters disrupted a speaking event in Amsterdam. Incidentally, the right to protest is exactly the freedom NATO fights to protect. True to my motto “expect the unexpected” we found an alternative way to do the interview. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/vvRcBY5Pfu
— Admiral Rob Bauer (@CMC_NATO) March 26, 2024
"Shame on you, you have blood on your hands," said the protesters. "Free Free Palestine, F**k NATO." From a balcony, the demonstrators hung a banner that said "Students against NATO" and "Imperialism equals terrorism." The panelist hosts asked the protesters to calm down and invited them to join the question and answer period.
"I don't think they're interested in a dialogue," Bauer remarked. Room for Discussion said that the interview became inaudible and considered holding the talk in a lecture hall, but due to security considerations, it could not. They instead opted to record the interview in a private room.
Regret over disrupted public discussion
"The whole Room for Discussion team deeply regrets how the events played out today, and we express profound sadness over the loss of our opportunity to hold important, critical public discussions," the committee said in a statement. "After the interview, we approached the protesters to inquire how we could find a compromise for their presence and hold interviews with guests they disagreed with.
They said there would be no way for them not to disrupt interviews with guests they disagreed with. This is a detrimental loss for our platform, where we interview guests with different political views, roles, and backgrounds."
Bauer commented on social media, saying of the anti-NATO protests, "Incidentally, the right to protest is exactly the freedom NATO fights to protect."
University of Amsterdam and Amsterdam University College have seen frequent protests over recent weeks by anti-Israel groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine Amsterdam and AU Free Palestine. The organizations have called upon the academic institutions for an academic boycott of Israel.
AU Free Palestine said that five of their protesters were arrested on Monday.