I was alone at the University College Dublin encampment when I heard knocks on the cabin door. Eight police officers were standing outside – as well as staff from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
A body camera worn by one of the police officers blinded me. The police then informed me that they had arrived to clear an “illegal encampment” on public land and assist any homeless people who may be living there.
I made clear that I was not homeless but a UCD alumnus and that the encampment was a political protest.
Before we were evicted in the early hours of 13 January, we had been camping at the entrance to UCD on the N11 road for 132 days. On occasions, that had involved sleeping in subzero temperatures.
The encampment began as a response to new research partnerships between UCD and Israel’s Technion and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Both of those institutions play a direct role in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and in upholding Israel’s apartheid system. The Technion, in particular, serves as a laboratory for developing weapons that are tested out on Palestinians.
UCD confirmed in 2024 that it was participating in 11 European Union-funded projects with Israeli partners.
The 1948 Genocide Convention places an onus on governments and public bodies around the world to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.
By maintaining cooperation – and even worse entering new partnerships – with Israel as it inflicts a genocide on Gaza, UCD is refusing to honor its obligations under international law.
Our encampment was set up amid a wider push by students and teachers across Europe. The aim of that push is to expel Israel from Horizon Europe, the EU’s scientific research program. (more...)
Dublin denies freedom to students protesting against genocide
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