Pro-Palestinian Activists Detained at Swedish Technical University

Swedish police detained 19 pro-Palestinian activists who barricaded themselves in a university building in Stockholm. They aimed to pressure the university to end collaboration with Israeli institutions. The activists face prosecution for trespassing and disobeying police, amidst rising international tension over the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

Swedish police detained 19 pro-Palestinian activists on Friday after they barricaded themselves in the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, aiming to halt the university's collaboration with Israeli institutions.

Police, after a two-hour standoff, removed the masked activists from the third floor and indicated possible prosecution for trespassing and disobeying police orders.

This incident comes amid increasing international pressure on Israel to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza. An Israeli strike on a school in central Gaza killed 33 people on Thursday, according to local health officials. The school was allegedly being used by Hamas militants.

The activists blocked the entrance to a student building at KTH around noon, shouting "Free Palestine" and displaying Palestinian flags. Supporters and a substantial law enforcement presence, including officers with dogs and mounted police, quickly assembled outside the building.

On Instagram, the activists stated their occupation sought to pressure KTH to cease collaborations with Israeli universities. KTH, Sweden's largest institution for technical education and research, is recognized internationally.

This isn't the first incident of its kind. Last week, pro-Palestinian activists were briefly detained outside KTH. In recent months, similar pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campuses in the U.S. and Europe have been forcefully disrupted by law enforcement.

In Copenhagen, activists relocated their tent camp to City Hall Square to demand a boycott of Israeli arms sales.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)