Students from Gaza were due to begin attending UCD this month. Editor Alice Keegan discusses how there is still no end in sight
There has been a widely-publicised sharp rise in visa rejections for Gazan students, despite many of the students having received fully-funded scholarships. The Irish state is for the first time refusing more visas for Palestinians than it is granting. There has been a sharp rise in visa rejections for Gazan students, despite many having received fully-funded scholarships.
Students from Gaza were due to begin attending a number of Irish universities including UCD, Trinity, UL, and NCAD this month.
The Department of Justice stated that "there has been no recent change to visa processing procedures, approval criteria or documentation requirements," and further clarifying that "each application regardless of nationality, is decided on its own merit."
RTE reported that Associate Professor Muireann Ni Raghallaigh, co-chair of UCD’s Universities of Sanctuary Committee described how “almost identical paperwork” was submitted to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration as previous years, but met a “very different outcome.”
The actions by the Department of Justice have been denounced as “scholasticide.” The government’s handling of the crisis has been heavily criticised by media outlets, students, academics, politicians and other public figures. Numerous Irish organisations have shown solidarity with the affected Palestinian students
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions have also spoken out against the government’s decision, while the Irish Development Education Association cited “extraordinary conditions” including the “ongoing genocide in Gaza, mass displacement and the destruction of homes, universities and basic infrastructure” as obstacles which must be accounted for when applying for visas. The Irish Universities Association said in a press release that they plan to "remain closely engaged" to ensure that students from Gaza are able to "advance their education in Ireland."
Protests have also continued to take place, with one in August being attended by UCDSU sabbatical officers and representatives. On 2 September protesters gathered outside the Department of Justice were arrested by the gardai. They were objecting to the denial by the Irish state to allow students from Gaza to study in Irish universities. According to the University Times, members of the activist group Jews for Palestine were arrested after they handcuffed themselves to a door and chanted “let them study.”
While it is reported that lawyers acting for the affected students have put the Minister for Justice on notice for judicial review, the Department of Justice's handling of the crisis appears to remain unchanged.