Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has pledged to disinvest from Israeli firms that appear on a United Nations blacklist. This commitment follows four consecutive days of student demonstrations on campus. In response, a taskforce is being established to examine TCD’s engagement with Israeli entities.
Last Friday evening, students set up a camp in Fellow’s Square which opposes the institution’s connections with Israel. These connections include financial investments and the students have vowed that their protest will continue indefinitely until their demands are fully met.
The university’s endowment fund has stakes in 13 Israeli companies, three of which are listed by the United Nations Human Rights Council as being linked with illicit Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. TCD clarified that these individual companies were not selected by the university itself, but were chosen for its portfolio by investment managers.
In the wake of the encampment’s establishment, TCD limited access to those holding a valid college ID card to ensure the safety of students and members of staff. Furthermore, the Book of Kells exhibition, libraries and sports centre have been temporarily shut down.
On Monday, TCD management met with student representatives to discuss the issues raised by the protestors in a bid to restore typical university services for staff, students and the general public.
TCD issued a statement on Monday evening, explaining that in light of the overreactions seen at other institutions abroad, they are committed to addressing the encampment issue internally. They hope to resume normal services for students, staff and the public as soon as feasible.
After the dialogue, TCD declared that the process of removing its financial stakes in companies appearing on the UN blacklist should be completed by June.
Demonstrating students have further urged the university to sever all connections with Israel, including their investments in the remaining 10 Israeli firms.
Additionally, the protest group has requested that TCD allocate reparations that would enable a hundred Palestinian scholars to pursue their studies at the university.
The statement released by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) communicates that they are fundamentally aligned with the students protesting the horrific circumstances in Gaza. The statement emphasises their condemnation of violence and war, with particular emphasis on the atrocities of October 7th, as well as the ongoing aggressive and disproportionate response in Gaza. They describe the humanitarian situation in Gaza as horrifying and its people as being dehumanised.
TCD has pledged to divest from certain companies and has marked out space for eight scholars from Gaza to study there. In addition, the university will make use of its Sanctuary Fund to provide these scholars with free accommodation. The university expressed its intention to continue collaborating with relevant parties to provide more positions.
The university has announced plans to establish a taskforce, including student representatives, to deliberate on how best to maintain academic freedom whilst also responsibly engaging, or otherwise, with nations violating human rights. The taskforce will be led by an external chair and will provide a formal context to explore differing viewpoints.
The significance of academic freedom to the identity of TCD was underlined in the statement. It was noted that there were contrasting beliefs within the TCD community concerning engagement with Israeli institutions, with the final decision resting with individual academics. Some may value maintaining the flow of ideas, while others may be deeply uncomfortable with any form of relationship.
The statement concluded with the hope that the meeting and their strong intention to implement a range of measures as outlined would facilitate resolution. A subsequent meeting has been planned for the following day. The context of this statement includes ongoing student protests and other related actions within Irish universities due to the conflict in Gaza.