On Tuesday, August 19th, a group of around 80 protestors assembled outside the Department of Foreign Affairs to demand the government facilitate the evacuation of Palestinian students with places at Irish universities. The protest was organised by a number of student bodies – Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT), TCD BDS, UCDSU, UCD BDS, DCU SU, DCU BDS, NCAD SU and the Student Neutrality Front.
The government, despite demand, has cited resource issues for the failure to grant the students their visas. Other demands included in the protest were streamlining the process for future applicants, removing unnecessary hurdles, and mitigating the risk of more students being stranded.
The protestors heard testimony from one of these students, who has offers to study biomedical engineering at UCD and University of Limerick under the sanctuary scholarship programs but has been unable to leave Gaza. He and his younger sister, who is applying for an architecture scholarship, have been in contact with UCD SU and their testimonies were read by the union’s Campaigns Officer Hazan Griffin.
Senator Alice-Mary Higgins also spoke, outlining the inaction on the part of the government. She described how in April extra resources were allocated to help bring people to Ireland from Afghanistan and questioned why the same is not being done again for those in Gaza. Commenting afterwards, Senator Higgins praised students for their efforts in pressuring the government.
TCDSU President Seán Thim O’Leary agreed, noting that “College has a duty of care to these students,” and ought to do everything they can to aid them, including joining students in protest. Patrick Flynn of the Student Neutrality Front also condemned the approach of universities, saying that their efforts have been “inadequate”.
A similar issue that was focused on was the right to family reunification of people that have already come to Ireland. On this, protestor and Gaza-native Ibtisam Abu Hassira spoke with tears in her eyes about her experience of escaping Gaza to come to Ireland with her younger son, who has a life-threatening illness. She described how her welcome to Ireland “made [her] feel human again”. However, her husband and elder son stayed behind, causing what she described as intense anguish and fear. Abu Hassira called on the government to allow her family to be reunited, and for more Palestinians needing urgent care like her son be evacuated and brought to safe areas.
Harry Johnston, chair of TCD BDS, said afterwards that, with the principle objective of “correcting the wrongs” in Trinity specifically having been achieved, this protest was part of a wider focus on working with other universities and groups to make things better for Palestinians in Ireland.
Approximately 40 students have earned scholarships to study at Irish institutions this September, yet remain trapped in the Gaza Strip, according to UCD SU.
