Large garda presence at University College Cork for EU meetings

As residents in the vicinity of University College Cork (UCC) went about their business yesterday, they did so with the backdrop of an extensive Garda presence as the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced her visit to Cork.

With Ireland having taken over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Wednesday, Ms von der Leyen was in Cork for several meetings yesterday and today, including with the Taoiseach, ministers, and EU commissioners.

People living, working, and travelling between UCC and the city centre were told to expect localised road closures and “temporary rolling closures” by Garda escorts.

Traffic and access restrictions

Patients at the Bons Secours Cork Hospital were also sent messages telling them to allow extra time for their journeys to appointments due to traffic and access restrictions.

At 12pm yesterday, UCC staff and student groups held a public protest outside the main gates at the Donovan’s Rd entrance to the university, over what they described as the lack of EU action on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Palestine.

Spokesperson for UCC Staff Together for Palestine, Ciarán Dawson, told The Echo: “We are gathering peacefully to call on the EU to uphold the principles it says it stands for and to take meaningful action to protect Palestinian lives. As staff and students, we cannot remain silent while an entire education system and population is being destroyed.

“Universities should be places that uphold human rights, academic freedom, and international law.”

Atlas Peters, a UCC student living in on-campus student accommodation, said the college was on a 48-hour shutdown due to the EU presidency events.

Business as usual

“But for the most part, it is pretty much business as usual,” he said. “You just go about your business from day to day.”

Catherine Clancy, chairperson of the Magazine Road and Surrounding Areas Residents Association, said that residents in the local area felt they had not been too inconvenienced by the ongoing events.

“The university and our community gardaí have kept us well updated on any changes to the traffic system in the area,”she said.