Anti-Israel student activists have set up a camp on the grounds of Trinity College in Dublin to protest the Gaza conflict, forcing the university to restrict access to the campus.
Following the lead of left-wing activists in the United States and France, members of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and Trinity Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (TCD BDS) group on Friday night Began a blockade. irish examiner report.
Student activists erected tents on campus grounds and blocked the entrance to one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions, the Old Library, which houses a Celtic illuminated manuscript of the Book of Kells.
“The Book of Kells has been closed indefinitely,” student union president Laszlo Molnarfia said while sharing an image of benches piled up in front of the entrance to the old library.
“Our struggle for the liberation of Palestine, and our struggle to force universities to adopt the principles of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), has meant that we have taken blockades and destructive actions. “It’s now essentially criminalized,” he added.
The Book of Kells is currently closed indefinitely. You cannot work as usual during a massacre. @tcddublin Let’s sever ties with the genocidal nation of Israel! pic.twitter.com/LZ31xcvtYt
— Laszlo Molnarfi (SU) (@TCDSU_President) May 3, 2024
The encampment comes after Trinity College’s students’ union was fined 214,000 euros ($230,000) by the university to pay for protests in recent months, including but not limited to pro-Palestinian demonstrations. It was established in response to the request.
As seen in protests in the US, student activists at Trinity College have also called for the university to sever ties with Israeli universities and completely “divest” from companies with ties to the Jewish state. are doing.
Trinity College said it supported students’ right to protest, but that protests must take place on campus.
Students at Trinity College, Dublin, camped out for Palestine, demanding that the university sever ties with Israel in line with the BDS principles supported by the majority of students and staff.
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 @TrinityBDS @tcdsu @tcddublin pic.twitter.com/dZFQ8E6eTL— Laszlo Molnarfi (SU) (@TCDSU_President) May 3, 2024
A spokesperson confirmed that to ensure the safety of students and academics, the university will restrict access to campus on Saturday to only those with university ID. Trinity also said the Book of Kells exhibit will remain closed.
“The closure of the old library will impact researchers, whether students, staff or international researchers,” the spokesperson said. “It also affects the staff who work there, many of whom are the students themselves.”
Pro-Palestinian student activists blockade universities across Francehttps://t.co/I0YG6cCSpS
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 30, 2024
