Approximately 60 students are ongoingly staging a sit-in protest at the Belfield campus of University College Dublin (UCD). The demonstration began on Saturday evening, instigated by both the UCD’s Student Union (UCDSU) and the university’s Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) group. Their protest is focused on the university’s approach toward Palestine.
The organisers released a statement outlining a series of demands. The protest will persist until these demands are acknowledged and met by the university. They are calling for the university to discontinue all academic connections with Israel, disclose all scholarly and financial relationships with Israeli organisations and institutions, and pledge to withdraw from any investments in the country; provision of scholarships for Palestinian students, and facilitating opportunities for Palestinian academics at UCD; and to stop procuring Israeli goods and contracts with suppliers on the university campus.
As part of their requests, they also want the university to publicise a statement calling for “an end to the extermination of the Palestinian people by the settler state of Israel.” Among their other demands is the hoisting of the Palestinian flag on campus until a definitive ceasefire comes into effect, and dedicating the under-construction Centre of Future Learning building after the late Palestinian author and poet Refaat Alareer, who fell victim to an air raid in Gaza the previous December.
Eabha Hughes, one of the organisers, mentioned there has been no response from the university yet. She noted that it’s hard to trust the educators when the university refuses to take a stand on the very issues they teach.
Aoife, an undergraduate in social sciences, is also participating in the protest even though she’s currently in the middle of her finals. She expressed that the potential risk to her grades is a worthy sacrifice, especially if it commands the university to divest. She emphasised that the collective urgency for change supersedes personal concerns such as acing exams.
The commitment and sacrifices of American students have motivated me to make an effort, regardless of the sacrifices required, to take a stand against genocide on behalf of UCD,” remarked a masters student from the school of social justice, who wants to keep their identity secret. The student added, “At UCD, we have been trying unsuccessfully to exert pressure. UCD has continuously refused to discuss the issue. We felt the need to demonstrate our commitment and take the next step to push for dialogue.
“We have declared that we will persist until UCD acknowledges our demands. At this point, our numbers are substantial and there are plenty more students who have indicated their willingness to join in after their exams, thus increasing our public support. We anticipate that the current turnout of 60 students will augment to around 100 in the subsequent days and will continue to rise once the exam season concludes next week.”
UCD hasn’t made any official response to the encampment as of yet. Last year in November, the UCD president Prof Orla Feely stated that it wasn’t her place to voice UCD’s stance on geopolitical matters. She asserted their dedication to promoting integrity and respect, where every member from the university has the freedom to express their differing perspectives under legal boundaries.
“It’s vital for the university to respect this right. If we adopt a specific position on geopolitical issues as an institution, we would restrict our own capacity to appreciate and respect diverse viewpoints,” she added.
Earlier, an encampment at another Irish institution, Trinity College was called off after the university agreed to divest from three Israeli firms, part of its endowment funds. This was after a six-day protest where public access to the Book of Kells was obstructed.