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Student jailed for attacking police at pro-Palestine demo

February 25, 2025
Simone Zhu on the tractor. Photo: Eva Plevier ANP

Judges in Amsterdam have sentenced a pro-Palestine demonstrator to two months in jail, one suspended, and two years probation, for her role in the violence at a protest at the University of Amsterdam last year.

Student Simone Zhu, 24, was not in court to hear the verdict and told local broadcaster AT5 earlier that she did not expect to be convicted. She is currently visiting her family in China.

Zhu told AT5 that she was not sorry about her actions and admitted to climbing on a bulldozer brought in by police to clear barricades and to throwing sticks at a police officer. This, she told AT5, did not count as serious violence because the police were “well-protected.”

In total, three people arrested for the trouble on May 8 last year were in court. The second suspect was given 60 hours of community service for throwing a plastic water bottle.

The third, who had been charged with throwing stones and balloons filled with an unnamed liquid at police, was found not guilty due to a lack of evidence.

Several demonstrations by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the university ended in clashes with police last year. The protesters were trying to get the university to break its ties with Israeli institutions.

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