Anti-Israel protesters erect camp at Dublin university, forcing school to restrict campus access, close popular exhibition
Students at Trinity College Dublin protesting Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza have built an anti-Israel encampment that forces the university to restrict campus access and close the Book of Kells exhibition, one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions.
The camp was set up late last night after Trinity College’s students’ union said it had been fined 214,000 euros ($230,500) by the university for financial losses incurred due to protests in recent months, not exclusively regarding the war in Gaza.
Students’ union President Laszlo Molnarfia posts on social media a photograph of wooden benches piled up in front of the entrance to the building where the Book of Kells is housed. The illuminated manuscript book was created by Celtic monks in about 800 AD.
“The Book of Kells is now closed indefinitely,” he writes in the post.
Book of Kells tourism generates income that finances the student hardship fund. The Student Union has already been fined a fifth of its income for blocking access before. This obsession with Israel is harming students directly. These ppl should be removed from power. pic.twitter.com/l6lvCm9VmQ
— Heidi Bachram ????️ (@HeidiBachram) May 4, 2024
Trinity College says it has restricted access to the campus to students, staff and residents to ensure safety, and that the Book of Kells exhibition would be closed today.
Similar to the student occupations sweeping US campuses, protesters at Trinity College are demanding that Ireland’s oldest university cut ties with Israeli universities and divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Protests at universities elsewhere have included Australia and Canada.