One of Ireland’s top universities has fined its students’ union €214,000 (£183,000) over holding protests on campus, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Trinity College Dublin (TCD) cited a loss of income as a result of recent blockades of the Book of Kells tourist attraction.
Students have demonstrated against the university’s response to the war in Gaza as well as proposed course fee hikes and increased accommodation costs.
SU President László Molnárfi told RTÉ news students and staff “stand united against management’s suppression of the student voice that has protested for Palestine, for graduate worker rights, and against fees and rising rents”.
Police in the US have detained more than 2,000 people nationwide in the past fortnight at college rallies and protest camps.
Students have also occupied UK campuses in protest against the conflict in Gaza with pro-Palestinian protesters in cities including London, Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds setting up tents outside university buildings.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mick Barry TD said the fine represents a “serious attack on the right to protest”.
He added it is “very possibly a warning to students not to emulate the pro-Palestinian campus encampments in the US
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript which is more than 1,200 years old. It is regarded as one of the greatest treasures of Celtic art.
The book has been in the hands of TCD since the 17th century and now attracts more than half a million tourists a year with admission starting from €19 (£16).
The Book of Kells: Medieval Europe’s greatest treasure?
In a statement, TCD said it is a not-for-profit organisation that “cannot survive solely on government funding and depends on other sources of income”.
The student blockades have had “a negative financial impact”, according to the university.
“The income generated from the Book of Kells is vital to keep the university going and it supports initiatives such as student services, the student hardship fund etc,” a TCD spokesperson said.
The college added it “supports students’ right to protest within the rules of the university”.The matter was first reported on Thursday by college newspaper Trinity News.
The current and incoming students’ union leadership have also been summoned to a disciplinary hearing next week.
TCD SU President László Molnárfi called the fine “an absolutely shameful act of union busting” by the university. According to Trinity News, the fine equates to about 20% of the Students’ Union total annual income.
The newspaper based this estimate on financial reports for the year ended 30 June 2021.
The union has been given until 30 May to pay the invoice.
Source: BBC
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