On May 6, 2024 University of Amsterdam (UvA) students established a pro-Palestinian protest occupation on the Roeterseiland campus to support Palestinians in Gaza and demand action from administrators.

[6] An encampment was erected on the lawn of the campus thereafter, encircled by barricades made of bricks, planks and ropes.

[22] Later that night, a group of people in support of Israel sought out a confrontation with demonstrators at the encampment, throwing flares and fireworks at them.

[24] Physical conflicts between protestors and the police took place, followed by the arrest of 169 people,[25] including a member of the Provincial Council of Gelderland.

Paving bricks, bicycle racks, desks, planks and other objects were removed by demonstrators to establish barricades, which blocked all essential paths to the encampment.

A number of supporters stayed outside the barricades and echoed the chanting from demonstrators settling in the encampment.

[22] With the eviction, a number of demonstrators moved to Rokin, in the vicinity of Oudemanhuispoort campus, and blocked Damrak, a main street in the city center of Amsterdam.

Police in riot gear subsequently ended the protests in Amsterdam after "chasing away hundreds" of people,[37][38] and the university closed for two days after the renewed occupations on campus.

[43] On May 17, a group of protesters gathered at a UvA building to set up a new tent encampment there,[44] which lasted about an hour and was ended after police in riot gear made their presence.

Protesters spoke out against, among other things, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema and the American support for Israel.