For the second time in a week, Dublin was brought to a standstill as people took to the streets to express support for rape and sexual assault victims.
Both Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) sent delegations to the march, which saw over 1,000 people in attendance.
With the Dublin contingent gathering on Dame St earlier today, protesters also marched in Belfast and Cork, as the spotlight remains on the Belfast rape trial. The demonstration, which follows a similar one on Thursday, was prompted by the verdict in the trial of four men in Belfast. Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were acquitted of raping a then 19-year-old Belfast student while Blane McIlroy was acquitted of exposing himself and Rory Harrison found not-guilty of two counts of attempting to cover for his friends.
Over 1,000 people lined Dame St and Georges St, chanting “we believe her” and holding signs saying “stand with survivors”.
Last night, USI released a statement, which said that the union has “serious concerns with the treatment of complainants within the court system when it comes to trials regarding sexual assault and rape either side of the border”.
TCDSU Welfare Officer Damien McClean, who attended the march, said in an email statement to The University Times that the union “work hard to tackle the culture that allows sexual assault to happen”.
“Not only have we to fight for a legal system that believes survivors, we need to provide better counselling supports and better consent information in secondary schools”, he explained.
“The time has come to reject misogyny and toxic masculinity in all its forms, and to support those who fall foul of it in this country. We need to be better than this”, he said.
The trial has promoted discussion and debate both sides of the border. The hashtag #IBelieveHer was trending on Twitter soon after the trial. The verdict has also reignited the debate around the need for consent workshops. With consent workshops mandatory in Trinity for those living in Trinity Hall, Queen’s University Belfast has also brought in classes for students. University College Dublin (UCD), however, had to cancel classes after poor turnouts.
