The administration of the Copenhagen University Amager (KUA) has threatened protesting students with expulsion and called in the police to disperse the crowd blocking one of its departments.
The Et Andet Universitet (A Different University) student activist group has been occupying the media, cognition and communications department in the Faculty of Humanities at KUA as a protest against the government's controversial resizing model.
Students will keep protesting
In spite of the threats, the students have no intention of leaving the premises.
"We are drawing attention to a political problem, and despite the administration sharing our views – namely opposing the government reforms – they aren't supporting us," the group explains on its website.
Exams are jeopardised
Kristian Boye Petersen, the faculty director at KUA, explained that the university has reacted strongly because the student blockade jeopardises the winter exams.
"I need to keep this ship afloat no matter where my political sympathies lie," Petersen told the University Post.
Asking for a dialogue
With large signs, students began their blockade on Wednesday morning and plan to stay put until a dialogue between them and the government is established.
Et Andet Universitet wants to stop the government's plan to reduce student numbers on university courses that do not lead to jobs afterwards.
Under the resizing model, 2,400 student places on course with high graduate unemployment prospects will be downsized, which will especially affect the humanities.
READ MORE: Government cutting thousands of student places
An additional 3,500 undergraduate student places will be cut over the course of the next four years.
As part of a compromise between the universities and the government, the universities will from 2020 have more control over which course places are eliminated.
