Lausanne students end night-time Gaza protest

"We will continue to be present at Géopolis during the day and will never give up our demands," the student protesters vowed on Wednesday night. KEYSTONE / NOEMI CINELLI

The night-time occupation of the Géopolis building at the University of Lausanne ended on Wednesday evening, while a similar sit-in at the University of Geneva continues. The Lausanne demonstrators have vowed to continue mobilising against the war in Gaza.

The University of Lausanne (UNIL) management had set a condition for negotiations to continue, namely that the collective should vacate the building by 10 p.m. Wednesday, which they did, the institution announced. Discussions may continue, provided that the collective remains composed of members of UNIL or affiliated to UNIL.

The university is also demanding respect for the smooth running of research and teaching activities on campus, as well as for the integrity of people and infrastructure.

“The occupation continues,” announced the students, who had occupied the building since May 2. “We will continue to be present at Géopolis during the day and will never give up our demands,” they wrote in a press release.

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During the day, the pro-Palestinian collective received a visit from parliamentarian Carlo Sommaruga of the left-wing Social Democrats. Sommaruga, who also chairs the Switzerland-Palestine parliamentary group, expressed his gratitude to the students for their mobilisation. He told news agency Keystone-SDA that the demand to “stop collaborating with Israeli universities is well-founded”.

UNIL should think about “collaborating with Palestinian and Israeli universities simultaneously on the same project,” he said.

Another night in Geneva

In Geneva, representatives of the pro-Palestinian students who have been occupying the UniMail hall since Tuesday met members of the rectorate of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) on Wednesday. The demonstrators were granted the right to stay overnight.

The meeting with the rectorate was described as constructive by a student involved in the protest. Three members of the Student Co-ordination for Palestine-UNIGE (CEP-UNIGE) have been invited to take part in a scientific council meeting on Thursday to discuss the role of the university in public debates in general.

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The demands of the pro-Palestinian students will be discussed at the meeting, CEP-UNIGE members told the media. In particular, the occupants are demanding the suspension of collaboration agreements between the UNIGE and Israeli universities and research institutes.

If the CEP-UNIGE were to take part in this scientific council, it would undertake not to occupy the hall at night. It would continue to do so only during the building’s opening hours. The pro-Palestinian students would therefore be required to leave the building at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Controversial banner maintained

Professor Frédéric Esposito of the Global Studies Institute, who has been appointed mediator between the rectorate and the protesting students, noted that Wednesday’s meeting between the two parties gave everyone an opportunity to state their positions.

According to Esposito, one point of discussion concerned a black banner hung by pro-Palestinian students bearing the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. Some believe this message could be interpreted as a refusal for the state of Israel to exist.

The phrase is controversial because it is used by anti-Semitic groups, said Esposito. The rectorate would have liked the banner to be removed. But the CEP-UNIGE has promised to clarify the issue, he added. Contextualisation and explanations will be provided through a QR code and a flyer.

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The rectorate said it was satisfied with this explanation for the time being. The banner will therefore remain in place until further notice.

Exchange at EPFL

At the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), the demonstrators’ occupation was lifted at around 5.30pm on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the EPFL management held talks with the protesters. Both sides welcomed the courteous and even “constructive” dialogue, said EPFL President Martin Vetterli.

At the end of the meeting, the EPFL management maintained a firm position on its rejection of an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. For its part, the delegation of pro-Palestinian students considers that it has obtained “some concessions” and promises that “the movement will continue”. In particular, the EPFL has promised to carry out an in-depth analysis of its research agreements with Israeli institutions.

Adapted from French by DeepL/gw

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