Trinity campus will remain closed to the general public following the Bank Holiday weekend as the encampment in solidarity with Palestine continues in Fellows’ Square.
In an email to students and staff, College have said that students and staff events will be permitted to take place and the Sports Centre will reopen. The Pavilion Bar will remain closed.
Trinity students and staff can access campus via Front Gate, Printing House Square Gate and Lincoln Place Gate only. All other points of entry will remain closed. To access campus they will need to present a student or staff card to security and College “will permit expired cards to be presented for the time being”.
The libraries will move to summer opening hours open from 9:30am-5pm with Kinsella Hall and the 1937 Reading Room remaining open 24/7.
Student and staff events can take place: “If a student or staff event includes external attendees, a list of these must be provided to security and the event organiser.” The event organiser “must provide at least two attendants to meet and accompany non-Trinity guests to the event”.
For campus residents moving out they will need to “email the Accommodation Office with the date and approximate time you wish to move out, names of those helping you, and vehicle and registration details”.
According to its website, the Book of Kells is also not taking bookings for the rest of this week.
In the statement Trinity have said: “These plans are underpinned by the desire to enable a return to campus life as normal, but also to be mindful to the duty of care we owe to the university community.”
“We are aware that some members of our community may not feel comfortable visiting campus at this time and we want to assure you that we will accommodate anyone who feels this way. If you are affected, please contact your Head of School or Head of Area who will make necessary accommodations. You will not incur any penalties.”
College has remained closed over this weekend with only students and staff being permitted entry at Printing House Square gate. On Friday night at 8:30pm around 60 students began an encampment in solidarity with Palestine in Fellows Square. Numbers at the encampment have since swelled to over 70 tents.
Organised by Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) and Trinity Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (Trinity BDS), the protestors are calling on Trinity to cut all ties with Israeli institutions. They have said they intend to remain on campus until their demands are met.
Over the weekend crowds have gathered on College Green in solidarity with the campers.
In their initial statement, College said: “An unauthorised BDS encampment is in place in Trinity”.
“While Trinity supports students’ right to protest, protests must be conducted within the rules of the university.”
Respondents to a poll by Trinity News have expressed overwhelming support for the encampment.
Of 1,360 students polled, 80.44% said they approved of the encampment. The poll was carried out over a 24 hour period between Saturday and Sunday.
The poll comes as a strong rebuke of College’s response to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. Just 9.49% of students polled said they approved of College’s response, compared to 85.96% who expressed disapproval.
