UCD Students Set Up Camp in Support of Palestine, Call on University Leadership for Action

Around 50 University College Dublin (UCD) students have established a second encampment supporting Palestine. The students have erected tents near a lake located in the centre of the south Dublin campus.

The UCD Students’ Union and its BDS group are leading the initiative. The protest draws attention to UCD’s perceived inaction regarding student concerns over Palestine. This includes the university’s failure to call for a ceasefire.

According to RTÉ News, the encampment is necessary to amplify students’ voices and demand accountability from college leadership. UCD Students’ Union president Martha Ní Riada emphasized solidarity with the people of Palestine, calling for UCD to recognize the ongoing genocide and to divest and cut ties with Israeli institutions.

The students have published a list of demands, including the severing of academic and other links with Israeli institutions and companies, the cutting of ties with any companies involved in weapons or other military manufacturing, and the establishment of scholarships for Palestinian students and pathways for Palestinian academics.

Additionally, the students demand a public statement from UCD calling for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people by the settler state of Israel. Despite the ongoing encampment, some students still have end-of-year exams to sit, highlighting the prioritization of their cause over personal academic responsibilities.

Third-year Arts student Éabha Hughes expressed her perspective, stating, “A genocide is a lot more important than exams,” underscoring the gravity of the situation in Palestine compared to academic obligations.

The UCD encampment follows similar action taken by the Students’ Union at Trinity College, where a camp was established just over a week ago but ended after Trinity College Dublin (TCD) committed to divesting from all investment in companies active in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The group said the encampment would be a peaceful expression of empathy and solidarity.

The UCD students emphasized that their action is part of a global student-led initiative advocating for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people, aligning with movements on campuses worldwide. They clarified that the encampment is intended as a peaceful expression of empathy and solidarity, with no ill will towards anyone.

UCD BDS and the Students’ Union assured that necessary safety measures and precautions would be implemented to ensure the well-being of participants and the entire UCD community, considering ongoing exams, assessments, and campus activities.

The students emphasized their rejection of the university’s perceived neutrality in the face of an ongoing genocide, declaring their commitment to continue the encampment until their demands are met.

RTÉ News reached out to UCD for comment on the encampment, seeking clarification on the university’s stance regarding the students’ demands.

In November, UCD President Professor Orla Feely responded to student concerns by stating that taking an institutional position on geopolitical matters would inhibit the freedom of community members to express individual positions and suppress the university’s ability to sustain and respect a diversity of views.

©M10news 2024

Sola Adeniji

News Reporter, Freelancer, and content creator

See Full Bio