Tilburg Academics Take to the Streets: ‘Stop the Eppocalypse’

‘Don’t do it,’ ‘Three thousand euros in your face,’ and ‘Stop the Eppocalypse,’ referring to Minister Eppo Bruins of Education. These are just a few of the slogans heard during the large-scale demonstration on the Malieveld in The Hague on Monday. Univers was there to witness the protest firsthand.

The budget cuts by the Schoof cabinet have sparked massive movements in higher education across the Netherlands. On Monday, November 25, a large delegation from Tilburg University will also travel to The Hague to protest the cabinet’s policies. The ‘Tilburgers’ will join some 20,000 lecturers, students, researchers, and other staff from across the country.

This time, the demonstration will proceed after being previously canceled for safety reasons. During the rally, spokespeople from FNV, AOb, UNL, and WOinActie are calling for strong action: ‘This is too big and too important. One billion. Such a large cut has never been made before. So don’t do it,’ Caspar van den Berg of UNL tells the crowd. ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it,’ the audience chants back to him on the muddy grounds.

The cost of ignorance

‘If you think education is expensive, you don’t know what ignorance costs,’ exclaims Rob Jetten of D66, drawing laughter from the crowd. ‘I see one VVD sign,’ he adds, referring to the many red-colored flags and banners. ‘Let that be an inspiration.’

There is a glimmer of hope that the opposition can block the budget cuts, as the traditional protest votes from parties like D66, PvdA-GroenLinks, and SP are receiving unexpected support. Even CDA and JA21 are pushing to reverse the cuts entirely in the Senate, where the coalition lacks a majority.

Broad coalition

The turnout of around 20,000 people is encouraging, says Siebe Bluijs, a humanities lecturer: ‘I’m pleasantly surprised and very happy to see so many people here. It’s clear that this is a very broad coalition, from education unions to VNO-NCW.’

Then comes the call for a march past the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW). Along the way, Univers speaks with several participants from Tilburg, including sociology professor Peter Achterberg: ‘We’re here to put a stop to this disastrous cabinet policy. Of course, it’s not going to work, but still—it’s also a fun day out together.’

Playful defiance

‘You hope it makes a difference,’ adds Jip Schuivens, who works in Marketing and Communications. ‘If the minister won’t listen, and the coalition won’t either, maybe the Senate will. At least we’re drawing plenty of attention.’

‘And if you hear a shop window shatter later, that’ll be us,’ Achterberg quips in a playful mood before disappearing into the crowd.

‘I’m here because these cuts are disastrous for the Dutch knowledge economy,’ says Suzanne Klein Schaarsberg, a lecturer in the social sciences faculty. ‘We want to speak out against that with these protests. And there are so many of us. At the station in Utrecht, I could barely get on the train—it was that crowded.’

Pure resentment

Bluijs expresses anger over the new cuts: ‘What really breaks my heart are the cuts to the teacher scholarships. These are grants for people working in primary or secondary education who want to conduct doctoral research on the side. It costs almost nothing—we’re talking about 14 million euros—and it yields so much. These are people with a real passion for education.’

‘There’s simply no plan behind these cuts,’ Bluijs continues. ‘They’re not well-justified; it’s pure resentment.’ Has Klerkx of Studium Generale adds: ‘Of course, you can consider budget cuts through proper consultation and with a clear vision, but this is just exploiting the universities.’

The Punishment Bench

‘Do you see any justification for this minister’s choices?’ asks Tom Van Hout, a lecturer in Cultural Studies. Univers spoke to him before the demonstration. Van Hout advocates for the Tilburg “soft sciences,” which are well represented on the Malieveld. ‘It’s an ideological choice aimed at shrinking the humanities.’

‘It feels like the humanities are being called to sit on the punishment bench,’ he says in a heartfelt cri de coeur. ‘The humanities produce students who can think outside the box and bring in new creative ideas. Of course, we’re a thorn in the side in public debates. But a society that invests in the humanities invests in itself. I don’t see that reflected in this government’s policies.’

Wim van de Donk

The protest enjoys widespread support. All sectors of higher education are present in The Hague. ‘We also saw Wim van de Donk,’ says Bluijs, ‘wearing one of those nice red felt squares from WO in Actie. We’re very glad to see that some administrators are here too.’

‘And I also saw a few deans,’ Klerkx confirms. ‘All levels are represented here. It’s great to see how many people are willing to take action at this moment.’

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