Today, August 19th, at 1PM, UCDSU will protest outside the Department of Foreign Affairs to demand the evacuation of Palestinian students from Gaza, amidst the ongoing genocide.
UCDSU, joined by various students’ unions, including TCDSU/AMLCT and NCADSU, along with BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) organisations such as UCD BDS, DCU BDS, and TCD BDS, will gather to call for government action in evacuating students from Gaza who have been offered places at Irish universities.
In a comment to the University Observer, UCDSU Welfare Officer Emilia O’Hagan said, “From my understanding, there are currently upwards of 40 students remaining in Gaza who have received offers from Irish universities.” O’Hagan states that she is directly aware of two individuals who have been accepted to UCD, and for one of those students, she personally assisted in securing their offer to UCD.
“These students are required to provide evidence of approximately €20,000 to meet the criteria for a student visa and to exit Gaza. This is an unrealistic sum for many, specifically for those living in camps as internally displaced refugees, having fled their homes due to the ongoing genocide,” said O’Hagan. “These individuals simply wish to continue their studies and have been granted university offers, often with fee waivers or scholarships, but lack safe passage to leave Palestine and to start their degree.”
According to a statement given by Senator Alice-Mary Higgins (IND) to the Seanad on July 17th, the Palestinian students were told by the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv they would, “be on the next evacuation flight,” once their visa applications were approved. In the same statement, Higgins further states, they have since been waiting “for over three months in the most severe and dangerous conditions, without any updates or indications as to what the next steps are, what actions are being taken, and why there are such delays in the evacuation process.”
The protest at the Department of Foregin Affairs is one of two demonstrations happening in the city centre on Tuesday, as the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign is currently advertising a ‘No Genocide Bonds’ protest, taking place outside the Central Bank of Ireland. The demonstration is set to “demand that our Central Bank stops regulating the sale of Israeli genocide bonds through the EU”. The group's site also mentions other events taking place around the country on Tuesday to show solidarity with the people of Palestine, with vigils taking place in Sligo, Galway and Mulranny.
“These are students preparing to join Irish universities, most likely with their courses beginning this September, and we share a collective duty of care to support them, not only at the academic level, but also through public and governmental channels,” O’Hagan concluded.
The SOS: Save Our Scholars Protest takes place at 1PM today at the Department of Foreign Affairs.