Police clear blockade at University of Rennes 2, Digi Mart USA News (Rennes, France): Police intervened at the request of the university president, who said some buildings had been occupied and that there was a risk of further serious damage, the prefecture reported. Officers carried out the evacuation and secured the buildings.
Around 21:00, however, about 300 young people were still on the campus. According to an AFP report, some of them broke a large glass door of a faculty building to enter the institution, and some shouted “Acab,” meaning “all cops are bastards.” Several of them insulted and threatened violence against an AFP journalist on site, demanding that he stop taking pictures and leave the area.
Many students denounced the earlier police intervention on campus. Earlier in the afternoon, the university presidency had met a delegation from the student general assembly to discuss its demands.
The presidency said it had reaffirmed its support for the social movement and that all demands had been discussed, but that further dialogue could not take place while buildings remained occupied.
The university, Rennes 2, has about 20,000 students, according to the statement. In Belgium, students from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), secondary school pupils and students from art schools also occupied a building on the Solbosch campus for several days.
The occupiers said they aimed to denounce a difficult social climate and create an autonomous space for meetings and exchanges. The building was evacuated on Saturday.
