On Wednesday, the Senate of the University of Kassel decided to work with defense companies - against the wishes of many employees and students. In response, a lecture hall at the university was occupied, which was later evacuated using police force.

On Wednesday evening, around 50 students from the University of Kassel occupied the largest lecture hall in the building. The occupation was later violently dispersed by the police, and the protesters have since been investigated for trespassing. In front of the lecture hall, several hundred students and employees of the university expressed their solidarity with the concerns of the occupiers.

The background to the protest was the abolition of the civil clause at the University of Kassel by the Senate. The university previously stated that “research and development, teaching and studies at the University of Kassel (…) should be exclusively committed to peaceful goals”. With the basic rules laid down by the Senate on Wednesday, the university will now make it possibleCollaboration with defense companies.

No military research at our universities!

“The university abuses the trust of students and employees”

The protesting students in the lecture halldemanded during the occupation of the lecture hallAmong other things, a binding vote on the civil clause with all students and employees of the university.According to a student, which was involved in the occupation, the university management did not respond to any of the student demands in negotiations.

Instead, the university management left the campus and the clearing of the lecture hall began late at night. Demonstrators inside and outside the lecture hall reported police violence. At 7 a.m., after a total of 18 hours of occupation, there were no longer any people in lecture hall 1 at the University of Kassel. In solidarity with the protest, according to the Civil Clause Initiative, a social work lecture in the previously occupied lecture hall was canceled on Thursday morning.

The student initiative announced that by abolishing the civil clause, the university had bowed to pressure from defense companies and abused the trust of students and employees. In doing so, they are referring to a ballot that was held just last week. Almost 82 percent of the students surveyed were against the abolition of the civil clause.

The concern for preserving the civil clause is not only borne by students. The Civil University of Kassel employee initiative also advocated the previous version. Almost 500 employees of the university, including 50 professors, supported the preservation of the clause through a petition.

Universities lack money – defense companies are making record profits

The Hessian city of Kassel, with around 200,000 inhabitants, has long been a central location for the German arms industry. The largest German arms company, Rheinmetall, and the German-French company KNDS, among others, have settled here. They produce Leopard 2 main battle tanks in the city. The corresponding locations have repeatedly been the target of anti-militarist protests in recent years.

Hundreds block weapons factory in Kassel

In times of billion-dollar armaments and massive social cuts, universities are also coming under increasing political and economic pressure. The Hessian universities will have 30 million euros in 2026 aloneless available. As a result, universities are increasingly dependent on third-party funding, for example from profitable defense companies.

These in turn are currently making record profits. Rheinmetall, for example, was able to increase its own sales in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last yearincrease by 70 percentand thus exceeded expectations. This is what she comments onEmployee initiative at the Civil University of Kasselas follows: “Instead of relying on private defense companies to get public universities out of trouble, it is important to advocate for reliable and solid basic funding for universities.”

Lecture hall occupations as a means of student protest

With the decision of the Senate of the University of Kassel, only three of the 14 state universities have anchored the civil clause in their statutes. At the latest since the “turning point” proclaimed by former Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in 2022, the civil clause has been attacked from various sides. Today, around 70 German universities are still committed to exclusively civilian research and teaching.

“A turning point” hits universities: attacks on the civil clause

In recent years, students have repeatedly resorted to occupying lecture halls in order to give their demands a combative expression and to make their voices heard to the university management. Particularly in the wake of the genocide in Gaza, one took actionWave of student protestsParts of Europe and other parts of the world.

In the wake of the ongoing wave of protests against militarization and cuts in education, young people in France also have theirsSchools and universities blocked. Similar protests followed in Germany and other European countries. This was also the case on Thursday morning at several universitiesBerlinandHildesheimin protest against cuts and militarization.

Global youth protests: taking our future into our own hands!

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