Students have reported that college security has allegedly entered accommodation to remove Palestinian flags hanging from windowsills on campus. The students state that the visits took place without prior warning.
A number of Palestinian flags were displayed in collaboration with a TCDSU action to show support for Palestinian people facing genocide from Israeli attacks. This action occurred on Wednesday the November 29th on International Day of Solidarity with Palestine. On January 2nd, the news outlet Al Jazeera reported that over 22,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 7th, according to figures provided by Gaza’s health ministry.
Niko, a Computer Science student, described his shock when he alleged that security came unannounced into his kitchen in New Square. Niko states that the episode occurred approximately two or three weeks ago during the daytime. On returning from class, he found the flag was gone. He described the following incident as feeling “very intrusive”, adding that “they came into my apartment without any warning whatsoever”.
Niko stated, ”I assume they took it down because it faced the new Book of Kells building”.
A student of English and French living in Goldsmith Hall also experienced the alleged removal of a Palestinian flag by security on the 21st of December. She stated, “it’s so clear they did this thinking we’d all be leaving campus and busy”. She further added that security removed her “Palestinian flag without a word to me before or since, and it looks like they’ve done it to the others in New Square”.
Security’s alleged removal of Palestinian flags from student accommodation comes after the College’s Central Society Committee (CSC) circulated an email advising societies against participating in a pro-Palestine protest. Societies that receive financial support from the CSC were reminded that “your opinions cannot be expressed under the guise of your society unless it is explicitly within your society’s aims and objectives”.
On November 29th, the Accommodation Office sent an email to College residents to highlight section 13 of the Conditions Of Occupancy for residents. This section states that “Residents are prohibited from exposing any bottles, containers or other articles in any windows within accommodation, nor hang, or permit to be hung, or expose any clothes or other articles or to exhibit any signboard, poster or advertising matter, or any placard, flag or banner outside, in or on the accommodation or outside residences”.
Regarding this point, Niko added that the college “implicitly supports the genocide. The college collaborates on projects and has exchanges with Israeli universities that participate directly in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the racial discrimination in the Apartheid state of Israel”.
It is unclear if students will continue to hang flags from College accommodations in solidarity with Palestine, following the alleged physical removal of the flags by campus security.
A spokesperson for College commented to the University Times that “without being provided with specific dates and times and locations it is very difficult to investigate these allegations”. She further added “If residents have concerns they should contact the accommodation office directly with as much detail as possible”.
