Protesters remain at the Department of Justice after spending the night on the steps, having chained themselves to the railing. They later moved to the back entrance to block all of the entrances and exits in advance of 12:00pm, which is the deadline for visas to be approved in time for evacuation and study.
Last night and into the morning, protesters reported no interaction with staffers. However, once they moved to the back entrance, several Department staff members spoke to protesters attempting to enter and exit the building. One staff member said, “You’re telling me you’re not going to allow staff to come and go?” After the protesters confirmed they would not allow entry or exit, another staff member arrived and claimed that the exit was an “emergency exit”. A third staff member asked to speak to the protesters and said, “I cannot have you block the fire exit”. The sign on the door described a “pedestrian gate” and the University Times is waiting on a response from the department on whether the gate is, in fact, an emergency exit given the lack of signage.
At around 11:50am, protesters at the back gate started chanting “grant the visas, save our scholars”. Immediately after they started chanting, blinds were pulled down from department windows, though some staff could be seen watching the events from higher floors.
In a statement to the University Times, when asked to comment on whether the department was planning to involve law enforcement and the events, the department said it acknowledged “the very difficult circumstances facing many Palestinian students.” Adding, “An appeals process is available, and visa appeals are processed by the Department in accordance with established procedures and are considered by a Visa Appeals Officer following full examination of the information and documentation submitted in support of the appeal.” And, “The Department progresses appeals as quickly as possible and issues decisions as soon as full consideration has been given to the case.”
However, Israel has to be given 11 days to organise evacuations, and the deadline has officially passed to give students enough time to start their studies at Irish universities.
The department also confirmed to the University Times that student visas have been granted for a total of 50 Palestinian students. This figure includes short-stay study visas, which means only four additional visas have been approved since August 21st. The University Times has requested the most up-to-date numbers on visa decisions from the Department. As of August 21st, 103 long-stay visas had been refused, amounting to 130 total, including short-stay study visas.
The department does not distinguish between students from Gaza and the West Bank, but according to Trinity BDS, at least six students from Gaza coming to Trinity were refused.
