UCC students set up encampment over Israeli links

SEVERAL dozen students at University College Cork (UCC) have set up an encampment of a dozen tents on the quad calling for the university to take further action in relation to any ties with Israel, in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Taking heed of student actions at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, the organised protest, hosted by the UCC Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) group, began yesterday at 5pm.

The UCC BDS group is seeking a standalone statement from the university condemning the actions of Israel, demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and meaningful material reparations for the Palestinian people.

“UCC must open the books of the Tyndall Institute to show what financial links and research project partnerships exist with Israeli academic institutions, Israeli state institutions, and Israeli and non-Israeli companies that are profiting from the occupation of Palestine,” said UCC BDS spokesperson Edith Busteed, who is a Solidarity-People Before Profit local election candidate in Cork City North East.

A UCC spokesperson said the university was in ongoing discussion with UCC Students’ Union regarding UCC’s position on the conflict.

“The university is establishing a Palestine emergency response working group, involving SU representation, and we will continue to work with the Students’ Union on this and the other aspects of our response,” they stated.

They added that UCC is committed to developing an ethical, human rights-based framework, developed in partnership with the academic community, including students, which would inform a review of all of UCC’s relationships, “including research and industry partnerships”.

In an official media statement, the UCC BDS group said: “The time for action is now and no later.”