13th March: Student Eviction from Pompeu Fabra University

At midday on 12^th April 2009 students occupied Pompeu Fabra University. They informed the university senate that the occupation was to end on Sunday. However, despite these assurances, the rector of Pompeu Fabra University, Joan Josep Moreso, called for police to evict students from the building at 10pm on Friday 13^th March 2009.

At this time the faculty is open to the public, therefore the library was full of people and students were still in class. Police surrounded the building and prevented people from leaving. They then began to violently evict the occupying students. They hit the floor with their batons and kicked over chairs in full view of the public. Some of the students left the premises voluntarily but 17 students remained behind. Approximately 200 students congregated at the entrance of the university to show their support for the remaining demonstrators.

At first, police dragged students out of the building via a side door but shortly after they started to remove them through the main entrance. A number of students were injured during the eviction, some of whom were attended to by medics. One of the students, a member of the Mundet campus (pedagogy faculty) assembly, has been detained at Les Corts police station. The reason for his detention is unknown.

The eviction follows the police eviction of students from the Poble Nou campus “Ca l'Aranyó” which occurred on the 13^th February 2009.

We are concerned that the presence of police inside public university buildings is becoming commonplace. The university rectors accuse us of imposing a minority will, however the results of the referendums clearly demonstrate that we represent a majority (1). Pompeu Fabra University ignored the results of the vote and instead has started taking disciplinary measures against students and violently silences all peaceful protests on campus.

1. The percentage in favour of paralysation in referendums held in the four public universities of Barcelona:

University of Barcelona – 93.1%

Autonomous University of Barcelona – 98.7%

Pompeu Fabra University – 88.7%

Politechnic University of Catalonia – 89.7%