Trinity College Students’ Union (TCDSU) today led a delegation of students to a rally to show solidarity and highlight the failings of the criminal justice system for victims of rape.
Dozens of Trinity students made their way to the O’Connell St rally this afternoon, many making the journey themselves or in small groups. Over 700 people have turned out for today’s rally so far.
The rally comes in the wake of yesterday’s not-guilty verdict in the jury trial of four men, including Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding alongside Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison, in Belfast. Jackson and Olding were acquitted of rape and oral rape respectively. McIlroy was acquitted of indecent exposure, while Harrison was acquitted of withholding information.
Many people took to social media throughout the day to express their dismay at the result and the treatment of the 21-year-old woman who made the accusation.
The hashtag #IBelieveHer was trending on Twitter after the verdict was announced. Over the last few weeks, the trial has drawn national attention and the men’s acquittal made the front page of nearly every national newspaper.
The rally was called in response to what organisers call “the mistreatment of women in the justice system”.
The event, which is hosted by People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger, is one of a number of similar demonstrations happening around the country with events going ahead in Belfast, Cork and Galway. In a Facebook post on the event page, Coppinger encouraged those who couldn’t attend any of the demonstrations to post a photo the slogan “I stand with her” on their social media accounts.
In recent years, TCDSU has led the way in providing consent classes to students. The decision by Trinity to introduce mandatory consent classes in Trinity Hall triggered a national debate around the necessity for the workshops. In September, the workshops in Halls saw a 90 per cent attendance. Last July, Queen’s University Belfast also announced that they would be launching consent classes based on the Trinity model. However, the introduction of the workshops has seen varying levels of success. University College Dublin (UCD) had to cancel classes after poor turn-outs.
Aoife Kearins also contributed reporting to this piece.
