Context

In May 2024, students and activists held two peaceful sit-ins within ETH’s halls to demand accountability for ETH’s complicity in the development of dual-use technologies and its ties to institutions linked to human rights violations. The protesting students oppose all forms of racism and want to work towards making universities a non-discriminatory place.

Our various attempts to highlight ETH‘s role in the mass extermination of Palestinians have been censored or banned. ETH has pressed charges against the people present at the sit-in, yet the students remain united under the slogan: No Tech for Genocide

Overall ETH is pressing 40 charges against the protesters for trespassing and participation in a non-authorized demonstration.

The protesting students can either go through a lengthy, expensive, and mentally challenging court case or plead guilty. Admitting guilt will result in an entry into their criminal record for trespassing (for at least two years) and a further criminal fine of approximately 900 CHF in the case of a repeated infraction. This entry into their criminal record has wide-ranging consequences for the demonstrators, including a significant impact on their ability to find a place to live and in certain circumstances affecting their possibilities of finding employment. Additionally the students will have to pay administrative costs of approximately 800 CHF and a fine of on average 450 CHF for participating in a non-authorized demonstration, even though this right is protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Swiss Constitution. The exact value of the fine, administrative costs and of the stipulated criminal fine vary from person to person.

For transparency, the calculation of the fundraising goal of VSM is the following:

40 charges have been pressed against 36 students. Approximately 16 of them will contest the charges, while the other 20 have entered a guilty plea. The following numbers (numbers of students involved in the court proceedings and court costs) may vary as the court case proceeds.

For those accepting the criminal charges, a cost of 1250 CHF per person has been estimated, calculated as follows:

- 800 CHF average administrative costs

- 450 CHF average fine

(excluding the on average 900 CHF stipulated criminal fine in case of future infractions)

Total costs for those who accepted the charges are therefore approximately 20 * 1250 CHF = 25'000 CHF.

This value is the first fundraising goal!

For the students who are contesting the criminal charges in court, the estimated average administrative legal costs (the legal representation is working pro-bono at this stage) of 8000 CHF per person. This calculation excludes the cost of 1250 CHF * 16 = 20'000 CHF in case the students lose their lawsuit. The total cost for the court proceedings are thus determined as follows:

8000 CHF * 16 = 128'000 CHF

To cover the financial needs of the students demonstrating, the following sum has therefore been calculated:

128'000 CHF + 25'000 CHF = 153'000 CHF. 

If the students are unsuccessful in their legal challenge against their prosecution, this money will be used to cover the administrative costs of the court processes and the fines of the people who didn't go to court. Aditionally further 20'000 CHF will have to be raised to pay the fines of the students who went to court.

If the students are successful in their legal challenge, ETH will probably have to pay the costs of the court proceedings for the people who did not accept their charges. Those who already accepted and paid their fines will probably not get the money back. Any additional money left unspent after any legal costs have been covered will be donated to support the Palestinian-led rebuilding of Gaza’s educational sector and infrastructure.