TU/e Security was quick to arrive on the scene. “We received calls from people who felt unsafe because of three individuals in red overalls with their faces covered,” says security guard René Denkers. He responded to the report himself and saw that several windows of Atlas had been defaced with paint. “They used some kind of fire extinguisher filled with paint. There were no words written, so I think it was really about making a statement.”

That statement relates to TU/e’s stance on the situation in Gaza, the activists indicate in a written communication. According to them, the university shouldn’t hide behind the European-level ethical analysis regarding Horizon projects, in which TU/e collaborates with various parties in Israel. TU/e's ‘refusal to conduct their own ethical scrutiny makes them complicit.'

According to the activists, efforts through ‘bureaucratic channels’ haven’t led to sufficient action on the part of the university. They’re urging the university to address concerns about its ties with institutions and industries involved in human rights violations and the situation in Gaza. The communication doesn’t make clear what ‘address’ actually means in this context. Earlier protests called for the severing of all ties with Israel. In their communication, the activists cite a report recently published by an anonymous consortium. Cursor hasn’t yet been able to verify the content of that report.

Police

Of the three people who defaced the windows, one was detained by security, while the other two ‘got away’, Denkers says. The activist was handed over to the local police by security. Spokesperson Ivo Jongsma says that everyone on the TU/e campus is free to express their opinion. “But we don’t approve the vandalizing or spray-painting of property.”

Whether this will be the last act of protest on campus remains to be seen. The activists, who go by the name EindhovenStudents4Palestine, write in their communication that today marks the beginning of ‘efforts to draw attention to the urgent need for change in this matter’.