On October 17, 2024, at least forty individuals were involved in an attempt to violently seize control of the Präsidium building on the Freie Universität Berlin campus in Dahlem. The individuals attempting to take over the university building were extremely aggressive, threatening employees verbally and resorting to physical violence. According to employees’ reports of the incident, they were commanded to leave their offices under threat of violence. Some commands were given in difficult-to-understand English, while others were shouted in German. Some employees who did not cooperate were physically attacked.

The police were called as soon as it became known that a violent attempt to seize the building was underway. The first police officers appeared on the scene within about ten minutes.

Most of the aggressors fled the scene when the police arrived. The police arrested several people who were allegedly involved in forcefully entering the Präsidium building. None of the people arrested were students of Freie Universität Berlin. 

Additional information: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/presse/informationen/fup/2024/fup_24_206-versuchte-besetzung/index.html

The university management immediately barred the suspects from the entire campus who were involved in the physical attack (including the four individuals mentioned above) once their identities became known in order to protect the victims of the attack and other members of the university.

Many criminal offenses that were committed during protests and occupations can be prosecuted by the legal authorities on their own initiative, especially if there is a particular public interest in the matter. In cases like this, the prosecution proceeds independently of who filed the original charges.

Freie Universität Berlin is not aware of any specific legal measures being taken that will affect the residency status of individuals (especially students) who supposedly participated in protests at Freie Universität Berlin. Freie Universität is not and has not been involved in any such matters, as they are the sole area of responsibility of the respective immigration offices.

The four individuals who have been referred to by name in media reports are not enrolled at Freie Universität Berlin, nor were they enrolled here at the time of the incident in question.

Freie Universität Berlin is a staunch supporter of people’s freedom of opinion and their right to protest peacefully – as long as these rights are exercised lawfully. Universities are places that foster a culture of debate based on openness and democratic principles. When they become sites of protest, the common goal should be to work together to engage in constructive and respectful dialogue. This basic premise makes it possible to have a debate that is based on facts and logical argumentation and that takes different perspectives, including critical voices, into consideration. The norms and rules that shape our communication with one another must allow room for people with diverse opinions. However, hate speech and any and all forms of discrimination must be rejected outright.

University leadership sees it as their responsibility to support and cultivate this space for academic debate and communication. At the same time, the law must be respected. The university is not in a position to judge the severity or fairness of measures taken by official government offices (such as immigration offices).