Pro-life signs and large banners of aborted foetuses have been set up outside Trinity, as part of a protest by pro-life group Irish Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.
Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union have tweeted a warning to students. On Twitter, the union wrote: “*TRIGGER WARNING* there are anti-choice protesters stationed across the road from Front Arch with signs displaying disturbing imagery. They are also wearing t shirts and jumpers which say Repeal. images have potential to upset.”
The group’s t-shirts actually say “reveal”, however.
Speaking to The University Times, Jean Engela, the Director of the Irish Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, said the group were specifically looking for conversations with Trinity students and staff. Outside Trinity, the group were also all wearing body cameras, which, they said, deter “misconduct”.
“In our culture, we’re proposing in Ireland, to execute the innocent babies of rape victims and call that reproductive choice”, Engela said.
“We’re inviting students here at Trinity today to come and have a chat or a conversation with some of our volunteers and we’ll be out for the next hour doing that.”
This week, the Strike 4 Repeal campaign group dropped a banner across Front Arch, as the Dáil prepared to debate reform of Irish abortion law.
“This is a university display. We’re trying to keep it close to University College Trinity and we’re hoping that some of the students coming in and out of classes today will interact with us”, Engela said.
Students are being “quite rational and civilised in their conversations”, he said.
In recent days, swathes of Irish TDs and senators have come out in support of a repeal of the eighth amendment, following months of marches and debates. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who has not yet made his own views on abortion reform public, has said he would like a referendum on the eighth amendment in May.
