In Solidarity with Student Protests at TU/e: Cut Ties with the Fossil Industry

To the Executive Board of TU Eindhoven,

It recently came to our attention that a peaceful occupation of two rooms in the Atlas building by the students of University Rebellion and End Fossil Occupy on Thursday, May 11th, was ended by TU/e security and board members in a rather violent way. The students were primarily demanding that the Executive Board cut ties with fossil fuel companies, which up to this date make up a significant share of industrial partnerships at TU/e.

Besides condemning the use of unnecessary violence towards peacefully protesting students, we are deeply concerned that the Executive Board does not actually take these students and their demands into serious consideration, nor wants to engage in any meaningful action to reassess whether collaboration with big polluters is ethical or farsighted enough in times of climate emergency.

In many public statements, TU/e advocates for innovation as a vector for positive societal change, and claims to be committed to a fair and sustainable future for all. How can this vision ever be enacted when our students, demanding to cut ties with highly polluting and destructive industries, are met with indifference or even violence? In a recent statement about the latest IPCC Assessment Report, UN Secretary General, António Guterres, reminded us that “climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But, the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels”.

The student and staff community of TU/e is, as we hope you are, well aware of the enormous threat constituted by the climate crisis, reported unanimously by the global scientific community for decades. As stated by IPCC, “rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a livable and sustainable future for all”. Regrettably, TU/e is still teaming up with parties who see radical change as opposed to their short-term financial interest.

By not engaging in constructive conversation about the ethics of our industrial collaborations, our university is failing to do everything in its power to address the unfolding climate emergency. The reluctance to discuss a concrete strategy to effectively cut ties with the fossil industry in the short time window we have left is a sad reminder of the climate inaction of our governments and institutions.

Therefore, we urge the board of TU/e to:

Take the demands brought forward by UR and EFO very seriously and answer them in an open and honest way, as should happen in any academic institution.
Enable a safe space for all students who choose to protest or dissent peacefully on campus.
Show true leadership by tracing a concrete plan to end ties with big polluters.

We understand that this might not be easily achieved, but radical action is needed and this is what we expect from our Executive Board, no less. The time to act is now.

Sincerely,

The staff members of TU/e and other academic institutions

For more information on what happened, please read this article.

For the latest climate science, please read the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report 2023.