Israel bombs Rafah as Biden threatens to stop arms

Dutch riot police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters on Wednesday as officers moved to clear barricades at the University of Amsterdam, where unrest has been raging since Monday.

Local television images showed dozens of police in riot gear exchanging blows with a group of protesters as officers cleared an area in front of the Binnengasthuis building in central Amsterdam.

Police said protesters then blocked a key local street called Rokin, where violence also erupted, adding that protesters “threw ammonia at riot police.”

Students are demanding that the University of Amsterdam (UvA) cut ties with Israel over the war in Gaza and are taking inspiration from the ongoing demonstrations on US campuses.

Shortly before midnight, Amsterdam police said on X that the situation was “calm” and most demonstrators had left the area.

They had previously stated that the release had been “approved by the mayor” after the UvA brought charges of disturbing the peace and destroying property, among other things.

Images from local broadcaster AT5 showed police arresting several hundred demonstrators and roughly dragging one of them off a front-end loader.

Another protester tried to stop a loader before jumping into a canal to avoid arrest.

Images also showed police surrounding and dragging away a small but vocal group of protesters who remained on campus, while a front-end loader pushed material used to build the barricades into a canal.

Demonstrators waved placards reading “Liberate Palestine” and shouted “Shame on you!” at police.

According to the police, the demonstrators were not only students, but also people “who were not affiliated with the university and deliberately sought conflict with the police.”

Representatives of the demonstrators and UvA management held talks on Wednesday, but the demonstrators told public broadcaster NOS that the discussions had led to nothing.

The protests began on Monday in front of the university. At least 169 people were arrested.

The Amsterdam city council is due to hold an emergency debate on Friday about the ongoing demonstrations.

Protesters also reportedly gathered elsewhere in the Netherlands, including on the Utrecht University campus.