Trinity College Dublin campus protest ends as college vows to cut Israel ties

AFP , Thursday 9 May 2024

Pro- Palestinian students at Ireland's prestigious Trinity College Dublin (TCD) on Wednesday ended a five-day-long protest against Israel's actions in Gaza after they said their demands were met by the university leadership.

solidarity encampment on campus
Pro Palestinian protesters in their solidarity encampment on campus of Trinity University on May, 2024. Photo courtesy of Trinity News.

 

In a statement posted on its website, the university said that "an agreement was reached" after "successful talks between the university's senior management and the protestors".

Laszlo Molnarfi, president of the institution's student union, said TCD's statement was a "testament to grassroots student-staff power".

The camp would be brought to an end Wednesday evening, he told public broadcaster RTE.

TCD said that the university "will complete a divestment from investments in Israeli companies that have activities in the occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN blacklist in this regard".

Student activists began the protest on Friday as a "solidarity encampment with Palestine" echoing similar protests on US campuses.

Molnarfi on Saturday said that the protest would continue until the university severs any relationships it has with Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protests have rocked US campuses for weeks, spreading to countries including France, Australia, and Netherlands.

Dutch riot police clashed on Wednesday with pro-Palestinian protesters as officers moved in to clear barricades at the University of Amsterdam, scene of upheaval since Monday.

Police said around midnight (2200 GMT) that they had arrested 32 people at the university.

Students are demanding that the University of Amsterdam (UvA) sever ties with Israel over the war in Gaza and are inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses.

Protesters were also gathering elsewhere in the Netherlands, including at the Utrecht University campus, reports said.

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