A third Irish student encampment in support of the people of Palestine has been established at University College Cork (UCC).
Up to 40 students at the college have pitched tents in the UCC main quad. They say their action is taking place in the context "of the horrific ground invasion of Rafah".
The move, by members of the UCC student BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) group follows similar action by students at Trinity College Dublin, and at the weekend by students at UCD.
The UCC students say a statement from their university president last week on the conflict in Gaza did not go far enough.
That statement was in response to calls by the UCC Students' Union for the college leadership to commit to a range of actions including the cutting of all ties with Israeli institutions.
Responding to the SU last week, the university said it had identified just one college fund which had "a very small exposure with an Israeli financial institution", and that it was already engaged in a process of divesting from the investment.
UCC also said it was establishing a working group with SU representation to identify how to make existing scholarships available to displaced Palestinian students.
However, this evening the college’s BDS group called the college statement "weak and uninvolved".
"We acknowledge that UCC in its reply to the UCCSU letter agreed in principle to some ethical conduct, but there is no evidence of actionable uptake from these", the group wrote in a letter to college president John O’Halloran.
"There is simply no more time to prevaricate on the nature of this crisis, or to simply release statements. We must immediately end Ireland’s complicity in the normalisation and realisation of the ongoing genocide", the students wrote.
The UCC Students’ Union is not directly involved in the encampment.
The BDS group has sent a detailed set of demands to the UCC president which includes the release of more information on potential ties between UCC and Israeli entities or companies involved in the manufacture of military equipment.
The students have also called on UCC to state its support for a range of actions and positions including the right of all Palestinians to return to their homeland, and that "all those within the Israeli State perpetrating genocide face trial".
The students say the encampment will continue until they are satisfied that progress has been made in achieving their demands.
UCD students to continue encampment
Meanwhile, students at UCD have said they will continue with their encampment on the college grounds until the university "meaningfully engages" with them regarding demands they have made related to recognising Palestine and opposing ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Student representatives were due to meet UCD president Orla Feely today but they say that the president cancelled the meeting yesterday saying she was no longer available.
Responding to a statement issued by Prof Feely on Sunday, the students said their 11 demands remained largely unanswered.
In the statement, the college said it had no investments in Israel and no bilateral ties with Israeli institutions.
It confirmed that it was involved in 11 EU research programmes that also had Israeli partners. The president said the college "fully respect[s] the academic freedom of UCD researchers to continue these research collaborations".
In a statement issued today by the UCD Students' Union, they said; "President Feely reaffirms the University’s commitment to upholding the academic freedom of those engaging with Israeli institutions despite the research outputs of those institutions powering the complete annihilation of academic life in Gaza, with the destruction of all 12 Universities".
Among the student demands is a call for UCD to provide scholarships to Palestinian students.
The president in her statement said UCD "currently supports 39 displaced students with Sanctuary Scholarships".
RTÉ News has asked the college if any of those 39 students are Palestinian but has not, as yet, received a response.
"It remains unclear whether there are any Palestinian students in receipt of the scholarship at UCD", UCD Students’ Union said.
Students say the camp, which was established by the UCD lake and its O’Reilly Hall on Saturday, has now expanded to over 70 tents with approximately 150 students participating.
"The encampment will continue until the University meaningfully engages with the demands of the UCD Liberation Camp", the students said.
Students criticise 'continued silence' at TU Dublin
It comes as students at TU Dublin are also continuing to push for that institution to "acknowledge and address the atrocities" taking place in Gaza.
Notwithstanding the fact that TU Dublin does not have significant investments, partnerships, or academic links with Israeli institutions, its Students' Union has heavily criticised its "continued silence and neutrality regarding the ongoing genocide in Palestine".
In a public statement the college’s SU said; "despite repeated efforts and demands from the Students’ Union (SU) to acknowledge and address the atrocities, TU Dublin's leadership has failed to take a stand in support of the Palestinian people".
It said "time is running out for the University to take a definitive stance".
