Labour stands with UCD and UCC student protests
- Full scale boycott of Israel needed
Labour’s Further and Higher education Spokesperson Senator Annie Hoey has expressed support for the student encampments at UCD and UCC in support of Palestine and condemned UCDs excessive use of force by university staff against students.
Senator Hoey said:
“The student encampments on the campuses of UCD and UCC are rightly protesting against their universities’ ties to Israeli institutions and companies. The continued bombardment of Gaza and the most recent attack on Rafah highlight the real need for a boycott and severing of ties with Israelis institutions and companies from our universities.
“It is also horrific to see UCD University staff use excessive force against student protesters. There were reports of a student being slammed into a railing, another student being put in a chokehold, and another being inappropriately touched. These students were peacefully protesting and any response that uses violence against them is shameful.
“We need a full boycott of Israel akin to the Irish government’s boycott of South Africa during apartheid. These student protesters are rightly protesting their universities financial ties to Israeli institutions and companies. The students of Trinity College Dublin have had success with their protests and we need to see other institutions listen to their students.
“This economic relationship means we are indirectly funding the very actions we find abhorrent: the incursion into Rafah, the targeting of aid workers, and the killing of civilians and children by the Israeli Defence Forces.
“Words will not stop the bombing and bloodshed. Israel will not stop what they’re doing until they are isolated on every single level. We need to see our universities and academic institutions divest from Israeli companies and cut financial ties from Israeli institutions.”