Trinity students join direct provision demonstration

Students met in Front Square before walking to the Garden of Remembrance

Trinity students joined the End Direct Provision demonstration today, meeting in Front Square, and marching to the Garden of Remembrance to join a crowd of over 250 people.

A large number of groups including Unite against Racism (UAR), Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) and the Irish refugee council (IRC) organised the march.

Students from the recently launched Aramark off our Campus and also the Trinity branch of People Before Profit (PBP) made up the majority of the Trinity cohort.

Speaking at the Garden of Remembrance, Lucky Khambule from MASI said: “People want to work meaningful jobs that’s what people want to do.”

The Supreme Court ruled in favour of allowing those in the Direct Provision system to work in May of this year, and cabinet have said they will implement this for those who have been in the system for longer than 9 months.

People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith said the government were neglecting the Direct Provision system and that it was linked to “tax evasion and wealth and power being in the hands of the 1 per cent.”

Speaking to Trinity News, Philip O’Hanrahan a Senior Freshman History and Political Science student said: “I’m standing here against Direct provision because I believe it is an inhumane way to treat people who are fleeing from horrific forms of oppression.”

The crowd who gathered at the Garden of Remembrance marched down O’Connell Street, past Trinity, to the City Hall.

Trinity students launched a boycott Aramark campaign on Wednesday with an event in the Robert Emmet theatre and an online petition.

Aramark, who operate the Westland Eats catering service in the Hamilton also run three direct provision centres in Athlone Cork and Clare.