Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) has released a statement this evening “stand[ing] in solidarity with [Trinity Boycott, Sanction and Divestments (TCD BDS)] and its peaceful occupation of Regent House”.
TCDSU has said that College “must cut its ties with apartheid Israel” and has said that “to continue their relationship is to condone violence, genocide, and the violation of human rights as noted by multiple international human rights organisations”.
“We cannot remain complicit in the death of innocents” the statement concludes.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has also released a statement supporting the occupation this evening. They urged students “to join a solidarity protest at the front gate at Trinity”.
Members of USI were seen protesting outside the Front Gate of College in support of the occupation.
“On International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, TCDSU and TCD BDS have occupied a room in the university in order to display banners looking out on College Green calling for the college to end ties with Israel, and in support of the Palestinian people.”
It said that “TCDSU President László Molnárfi has also been in direct contact with Trinity’s Junior Dean and Provost to request, in the strongest terms, that they tell security at Trinity not to use force against their own students and Students’ Union officers after they tried to physically remove them from the room earlier”.
USI Vice President for Campaigns Zaid Al-Barghouthi said: “I have joined the solidarity protest that is gathering at front gate and I am calling on students from any college, and supportive members of the public, to join this protest to show support for TCDSU and TCD BDS group.”
He continued: “This is the latest in a series of actions that the SU, along with students, have taken to tell university management to cut ties with Israel”. He noted that TCDSU were very unhappy with the way they were treated by the college earlier this evening, and so have asked as many people as possible to come out and support them and we are joining those calls”.
“TCDSU and TCD BDS are calling on Trinity to sever all research and business ties it has with Israel and to divest of any financial ties with the Palestinian occupied territories” he concludes.
Students began their occupation at 6pm this evening and plan to stay in Regents House “indefinitely”. They have blockaded the door from the inside using furniture from the hallway of the building.
College security were inside Regent House, monitoring the situation and requesting students to leave. Security left the building shortly before 8pm and have been outside the door of Regent House since.
A representative of the junior dean was made aware of the occupation and has been seen both inside Regent House speaking to protestors and outside the building at Front Gate.
Security has closed House 6 for the night, denying students access to the building. Students already inside House 6 were permitted to leave.
The representative of the junior dean declined to comment to Trinity News about the Garda presence outside Regent House.
