Members of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and Trinity Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (TCD BDS) have set up an encampment on campus, protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza and calling on College to cut ties with Israel.
Approximately 60 people gathered on Fellows Square from 8.30pm.
They have said they intend to remain on campus until their demands are met.
In a statement to Trinity News, TCDSU President László Molnárfi said: “The movement for Palestinian Liberation is, is essentially the greatest cause in the world because it is the cause of humanity.”
“We have hit Trinity with petitions, open letters, meetings with university officials, and when these went ignored, we escalated.”
“Despite threats and despite intimidation, and despite suppression of our movement – we’ve been intimidated, we’ve been hit with a 0.2 million fine – despite all of this, we came back even stronger and we’re escalating our actions.”
In an email to the student body, Doyle said she met with sabbatical officers earlier today and “discussed a number of issues”.
“We also discussed the war in Gaza, and I shared some of Trinity’s ongoing work,” she wrote.
Molnárfi told Trinity News Doyle “wasn’t progressing” with the union’s demand to cut ties with Israeli institutions.
“She’s going to look into divesting from a one company – the UN blacklisted company – that is involved in illegal settlement building,” he said.
“It’s not what we want. It’s not good enough.”
“She hasn’t managed to use the word “genocide” once and the college is not open to adopting the principles of boycott, divestment sanctions.”
Speaking to Trinity News one of the protesters said:” It’s inspiring. Students being willing to put their degrees on the line to stand up against the genocidal regime in Israel.”
“The US and Irish governments as well like to pretend they are good on this issue but they actually speak out of two sides of their mouth.”
In a statement to Trinity News, the press representative for the protesters said: “We’re just here following in the steps of other students all over the world, protesting so that our university cuts ties with Israeli institutions, stops exchange programs and research programs and research ties that they have with universities in Israeli that are actively engaging in the production of weapons.”
Another protestor told Trinity News: “I suppose we all look back on the worst atrocities of history and would like to imagine that had we been there or been alive at the time that we would have done something to stop it.”
“Right now we have a literal genocide going on in the Middle East, and I don’t see how there could be any doubt about that.”
They concluded: “Western leaders and TCD are complicit in that by funding it . We’re just not very happy about that, we want it to stop.”
Another camper spoke to Trinity News saying: “The biggest crime that can be committed during a genocide is staying silent.”
“Every moment you decide there is more nuance to it, to not take a stance, you are taking a stance on behalf of the oppressors, again the oppressed, in this case, you have to name it Palestine, is being bombarded out of existence, and somebody has to step up.”
“Investing anything in the Israeli regime is unacceptable and we have to stand up to take part in this global movement” they concluded.
In a statement, Academia for Palestine TCD (AfP) said it “fully supports the courageous student organisations leading the Gaza encampment”, adding that it “shares their goal of pushing [College] to cut ties with Israel” amidst the genocide in Gaza.
“Our students are showing moral leadership where College has shown none,” AfP stated.
Criticising what it called College attempts to “effort to delegitimise peaceful, principled and legitimate student activism”, it reiterated calls for College to “listen to staff and students” in cutting ties with Israeli institutions.
The encampment is the first of its kind to break out on an Irish campus, amidst similar scenes on campuses across the United States and elsewhere.
The first such major campus occupation was the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University, with which College shares a dual BA programme.
Trinity students on the Dual BA and Irish students on international exchange were active in and alongside the Columbia encampment.
Established on April 17, the encampment was forcibly ended on Tuesday when Columbia authorised the New York Police Department (NYPD) to begin clearing protestors from the site, resulting in over 200 arrests.
It follows days of escalated tensions between TCDSU and College officials.
On Monday, Provost Linda Doyle sent an email to all students and staff, criticising an ultimatum sent to her and other College Board members by TCDSU which promised to cause “serious financial and reputational damage to College” unless plans to increase fees for Masters courses were abandoned.
TCDSU President László Mólnarfi responded in a College-wide email of his own, accusing College of attempting to “turn its own students against each other, and its own union”, and calling upon students to join a day of protest the following day.
This evening, Doyle also sent an email to students and staff. She said: “Yesterday I invited the current and incoming sabbatical officers of the Students’ Union to meet.”
“We met earlier today and discussed a number of issues. While there are differences, we can also see the benefit of engaging proactively on these together.”
She said they “also discussed the war in Gaza, and I shared some of Trinity’s ongoing work”.
She highlighted the statement published on Trinity’s website this week and said she would share “any further information becomes available”.
On Tuesday, a number of students took part in a silent blockade of the Book of Kells Experience building.
College retaliated on Thursday, sending TCDSU an invoice of €214k for financial losses incurred by disruptive protests that have taken place throughout the year, largely centering around the Book of Kells Experience and the Old Library.
Warnings have also been issued by College to a number of figures within TCDSU, including Mólnarfi and President-elect Jenny Maguire, threatening them with internal disciplinary measures related to their involvement in direct action, including the possibility of expulsion.
The encampment is the first of its kind to break out on an Irish campus, amidst similar such scenes on campuses across the United States and elsewhere.
The first such major campus occupation was the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University, with which College shares a dual BA programme.
Trinity students on the Dual BA and Irish students on international exchange were active in and alongside the Columbia encampment.
Established on April 17, the encampment was forcibly ended on Tuesday when Columbia authorised the New York Police Department (NYPD) to begin clearing protestors from the site, resulting in over 200 arrests.
College has been contacted for comment.
Additional reporting by David Wolfe, Emily Sheehan, Gabriela Gazaniga & Charlotte Kent.
