This morning, a Junior Sophister Chemistry lecture was disrupted by an animal rights activist advocating for the termination of animal testing by Trinity College. The activist recorded himself, as well as the students and lecturer, calling them “scumbags”, “selfish”, and “a shameful bunch of individuals”. He also asked them to “have some fucking morals” and to “have the wisdom to drop out of this course”.
The activist posted the video to his Instagram and Tiktok accounts. In it, the lecturer, Professor Stephen Connon, can be seen leaving the hall, apparently alerting someone for help. Meanwhile, the approximately 30 students can be seen looking bewildered, and leaving the room soon after the disruption started.
The activist claimed that “Beagle dogs are being tested upon in this university”, as well as rabbits, monkeys, and mice. According to the activist, “Beagle dogs have acid poured in their eyes” within Trinity College. In 2016, Trinity confirmed with The Journal that animal testing is being done “for biomedical research”. However, according to the article, only mice and rats are being tested upon.
Trinity’s persistent use of live animals within the university has been the subject of previous controversy. The Irish Anti Vivisection Society (IAVS) published a report in 2022 stating that Trinity used the largest number of live animals for testing out of all Irish universities. The report quotes the College in saying that “scientists in Trinity College are required to demonstrate that there are no alternatives available before the ethical review process will permit the procedures”. Trinity’s Policy on Good Research Practice confirms this.
The same activist who disrupted the lecture today appears in multiple other social media posts, disrupting lectures in a similar manner at University College Dublin (UCD) and campaigning inside Marine Life Aquarium Bray and in a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) store.
