University of Lisbon calls police after “destruction of property, graffiti and threat to security”

Dean and directors of the Faculty of Psychology and the Institute of Education “requested the intervention of the authorities, in order to restore the security of assets, equipment and people in their institutions”

The University of Lisbon, where pro-Palestine and anti-fossil fuel demonstrations took place over the last two days, explained that it called authorities after “situations of destruction of heritage, graffiti and threats to security”.

In a statement, the university says that since Thursday afternoon “worrying situations of destruction of property, graffiti and threats to security began to occur through the elimination and breaking of locks, leaving free access to areas of the building where find laboratories, administrative services, management offices and classrooms”.

“The ease of access to records of personal and academic data, laboratory and technological materials and documents and possessions constitutes an unacceptable risk. It has also become clear, throughout these days, the increasing concern of students at both institutions with possible interruptions of planned activities, teaching and non-teaching”, reads the note.

Further stating that “a substantial part of the protesters do not belong to the community of these two ULisboa Schools”, the dean and directors of the Faculty of Psychology and the Institute of Education “requested the intervention of the authorities, in order to restore the security of goods, equipment and people from its institutions”.

In a statement, the Lisbon Metropolitan Command confirms that “it was called, at the request of the management of the Faculty of Psychology and the Institute of Education, to remove several individuals from within the Faculty of Psychology and the Institute of Education, who would be putting the the normal functioning of those institutions”.

According to that security force, “the majority of protesters left the college facilities of their own free will, with eight activists remaining inside who refused to leave on their own”.

“After several orders to withdraw from the interior, these eight activists were alerted to the fact that disobedience to these orders would result in the commission of a crime of disobedience. The orders were reiterated and, upon verification of their disobedience, eight citizens were then detained”, aged between 19 and 28, as they are suspected of committing the crime of disobedience.

When the PSP left with the detainees, the approximately “30 to 40 activists” who were on the public road, “closed to the respective entrance, surrounding the police vehicles, some of them having sat down on the ground, with the intention of prevent their removal from the site”.

On Tuesday, the management of the Institute of Education and the Faculty of Psychology, which operate in the same building, reported that academic activities proceeded normally, despite the student protest.

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Since then, Israel has launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has caused nearly 35,000 deaths, said Hamas, in power in the Palestinian enclave since 2007.