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TCDSU, PWO TCD, and TCD BDS have released a joint statement responding to the college’s “targeted” attacks on union leaders.
Earlier this evening, news broke that Trinity College Dublin fined its Students’ Union for the financial losses resulting from protests that have occurred throughout the year. The fine amounts to €214k and the deadline for payment is 30th May. TCDSU President László Molnárfi, Communications and Marketing Officer Aiesha Wong, President-elect Jenny Maguire, and head of TCD PWO Jeffrey Seathrun Sardina have also been summoned into disciplinary meetings.
According to Trinity News, the sum TCDSU has been fined for corresponds to 20% of its annual income - a majority of which comes directly from the college. Furthermore, in an article posted on 2nd May, the University Times reports that a student suggested that the fine amounts to “almost equivalent to the Provost’s annual salary”.
In a joint statement in response to the matter, TCD PWO, TCD BDS and TCDSU have expressed their “deep concern and disappointment at targeted attacks on several of their leaders by senior administration of Trinity College Dublin”. They continued on to say that the intimidations took the form of threats of “ disciplinary sanctions including suspension, expulsion, payment of fines in the tens of thousands of euros, and disqualification from examinations including examinations of their PhD theses.”
In a joint statement in response to the matter, TCD PWO, TCD BDS and TCDSU have expressed their “deep concern and disappointment at targeted attacks on several of their leaders by senior administration of Trinity College Dublin”.
Several external bodies have come forward in their support for members of TCDSU and TCD PWO that have been individually targeted by disciplinary action the union has defined as “unjust and vindictive”.
Specifically, the Union of Students in Ireland has expressed its condemnation of TCD actions and remarked that “this an attempt not short of an outright infringement on the right to protest”.
Members of Academics for Palestine said: “Academics for Palestine TCD have said: “AfP TCD have expressed serious concerns over crackdowns on students peacefully protesting, actions by College which will neither solve the problems nor quell the students’ activism”. They continued to say: Our students are showing moral leadership where College has not."
TCDSU made a parallel with the current student protest crackdown that is happening across US college campuses: “Trinity is following in the footsteps of Columbia University, UCLA, and other universities worldwide who have already adopted authoritarian and punitive measures to repress peaceful protesters, freedom of opinion, academic freedom, and students’ fundamental rights.”
In a statement given to The University Observer, TCDSU Comms officer Aeisha Wong stated, “It's ironic that following student protests against financial barriers to education, the College has chosen to hold the entire student body at ransom with a 0.2 million euro invoice. If the reputation of your university refuses to openly condemn genocide and supports proposals to raise fees, perhaps the anger and frustration students feel is warranted.
We have campaigned tirelessly over the past year for the college to cut its ties with Israel, we have politely requested meetings and signed petitions, yet we have not been acknowledged until now. It's important now more than ever for the student and staff movement to come together. Intimidation won't work anymore.”
These last-resort measures are justified by the college as a response to the repeated blockades of the Book of Kells throughout the year - the last of which happened on Tuesday, 30th April. The first of these occurrences dates back to September 2023, when entrance to the Book of Kells was blocked to protest the increased costs of on-campus accommodation. This motivation is similar to the latest demonstration, which opposed a proposed increase in Postgraduate fees.
In a statement given to The University Observer, TCDSU Comms officer Aeisha Wong stated, “It's ironic that following student protests against financial barriers to education, the College has chosen to hold the entire student body at ransom with a 0.2 million euro invoice.
Trinity’s division of the PWO (Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation) also blocked the Book of Kells in early April. Other mentioned disruptions concern instead Palestinian solidarity demonstrations organised by TCDSU in collaboration with Trinity’s chapter of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) Movement.
In a statement shared with Trinity News, the College argued that “income generated from the Book of Kells is vital to keep the university going. [...] Any loss of income at the Book of Kells directly affects our ability to deliver services for our students”. This statement echoes a campus-wide email sent by Trinity Provost Linda Doyle on Monday, 29th April, in which the pivotal role of the Book of Kells for the College’s finances was further reiterated.
Reacting to the news, incumbent TCDSU President László Molnárfi wrote on X, “We will not be intimidated! [...] Students and staff stand united against university management and their suppression of the student voice protesting for Palestine, as well as fees, rents, and postgraduate workers’ rights.” Molnárfi also referred to the fine as “shameful union-busting” on the College’s part. Molnárfi’s words were echoed by TCDSU President-elect, Jenny Maguire, in an X post. The President-elect also told The University Observer, “You cannot divide us and you will not win. The students united will never be defeated.”
In a statement to The University Observer, PWO TCD Jeffrey Seathrun Sardina stated, “It’s very disappointing, but not surprising, to see Trinity attempt to invoke ‘discipline’ against protesters. Postgraduate advocates have personally been heckled, shouted down, and forced to remain silent in formal university meetings simply for presenting a different opinion. There was no discipline in that.
It’s further worrying to see this response to protestors whose only demand was fair treatment. PHDs in Trinity make below minimum wage and are denied maternity and paternity leave. Surely that denial of rights should be considered more ‘disruptive’ and ‘damaging’ to the University’s community and to its reputation?”
In a statement given to The University Observer, a Trinity spokesperson stated, “Trinity College Dublin is a not-for-profit organisation. It cannot survive solely on Government funding and depends on other sources of income. The income generated from the Book of Kells is vital to keep the university going [...].” The statement also concedes that although Trinity “supports students’ right to protest within the rules of the university”, the College also has “ an obligation to protect the Book of Kells which is a national treasure.”