Trinity has agreed to work towards total divestment from Israeli institutions in an unprecedented victory for Trinity Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
Trinity encampment protestors, who have camped in Fellows’ Square for five nights, have unanimously agreed to accept College’s terms on cutting ties.
Following a meeting at 1pm today, Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) President László Molnárfi, president-elect Jenny Maguire, BDS Chair Isobel Duffy and Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation (PWO) Chair Conor Reddy announced to the camp that College has agreed to work towards their demands.
All protestors marched to the office of the junior dean with flags and signs while chanting to officially accept the terms of negotiations.
They have confirmed they will not officially leave the encampment at Fellows’ Square until College issues their own statement.
This statement is expected to be forthcoming this afternoon, meaning the encampment will end this evening.
A task force will be formed to work towards the protestors demands including a complete divestment from Israeli institutions and the end of Triunity’s partnerships with Israeli universities. This task force will include representatives from Trinity Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and TCDSU.
The encampment will also be allowed to submit a proposal for the renaming of the former Berkeley library. College has agreed to specifically reopen submissions for this purpose.
Molnárfi told the camp that Trinity has already divested from all Israeli supplied bar one contract that expires in March next year.
Trinity BDS Chair Isobel O’Duffy said in a statement to Trinity News that it is “great to see some concrete commitment from College to work on this. We’ve been working on this for, not just the camp, not just this year, but for years”.
”BDS is not going anywhere. We’ll still be here to put pressure on College, so this is the start, not the end”, she said.
TCDSU President-elect Jenny Maguire praised protestors for showing “the strengths of students as a whole”.
“Last week, College tried to destroy the union,” she told Trinity News.
“They tried to scare students away from it with disciplinary action with fines and we have shown in the last few days that the students are stronger than ever.
“[We came] to say that we demand more of our college and we want a better college and that is what we have shown and that is what we have won.”
The encampment will end this evening following a statement from College which will be published this afternoon.
