University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) President Katie Ascough has thanked her campaign team in a concession speech given after the impeachment campaign vote tonight
Ascough said: “I want to thank my campaign team for every hour you have given me. I have fought a good fight, I was open and honest. I have respected the law. I feel confident that I have done everything I could for the students I am grateful to be elected to represent.” Ascough continued: “This is a sad day for me but it is also a sad day for our university. Universities should be a place of freedom of speech, freedom of thought, fairness and respect for those who do not want to break the law.“
Amy Crean, leader of the impeachment campaign spoke after Ascough and stated that she hoped “this referendum shows the importance of democracy in our union”. Crean was met with jeering and booing during her speech from the Ascough campaign.”
Ascough was impeached tonight following her removal of abortion information from the UCD “Winging It” Freshers handbook.The reprinting of the handbooks cost the the union over €7,000. The information included price listings of abortion clinics outside Ireland, and information about purchasing abortion pills online.
The result was strongly in favour of impeachment with 69% voting yes and 31% voting no, with a total valid poll of 6,572.
Additional reporting by Sarah Meehan.
