UCD STUDENTS HAVE established an encampment on the Belfield campus in Dublin in protest of the college’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The move follows the successful example of Trinity students which was itself inspired by the encampment tactic employed by students at universities in the United States.
The camp at UCD has been set up by the UCD Students Union and the college’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) group.
In a statement, the two groups said: “The decision to establish the encampment comes after the college’s refusal to address concerns regarding its stance on the Palestinian crisis, including the absence of a call for a permanent ceasefire and a reluctance to review partnerships with Israeli institutions.”
Those edmands mirror those put forward by pro-Palestine student groups at universities around the country.
The students said that the camp is intended to be “a peaceful expression of empathy and solidarity, aimed at raising awareness and fostering meaningful dialogue within the UCD community”.
They also gave an assurance that “no ill will is intended toward any member of the community, including students, staff, management, or otherwise,” adding that they would respect that exams are taking place.
The students said the encampment would continue until their demands are met.
They include UCD identifying and divesting from Israeli companies, cutting ties with Israeli institutions and providing scholarships to Palestinian students.
They also demand a statement condemning the Israeli assault on Gaza along the lines of the one issued by the college in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“As students, and academics, within UCD we will no longer accept the morally inconsistent and continued feigned neutrality of the University in the face of an ongoing genocide.
“We will not accept the inclusion of any neutral statement that condemns all forms of violence on both sides, which creates a false moral and material equivalence, underplaying the genocidal destruction Israel has unleashed on the Palestinian people.”
UCD SU’s president Martha Ní Riada told The Journal recently that students have been trying for months to sway university management towards adopting a firmer position towards Israel and its ongoing war on Gaza.
