UCC condemns Gaza conflict and announces supports for Palestinian students
The Ucc Condemn Emer Students’ picture: Neville Asked Gaza The Genocide University To In Union
University College Cork (UCC) has announced a series of measures to support Palestinian students and has condemned the "heinous and abhorrent" ongoing conflict in Gaza.
On Tuesday, UCC Students' Union delivered a letter to university president John O'Halloran, asking the university to condemn the genocide in Gaza and call for a permanent ceasefire, while also providing support to Palestinian students affected by the war.
It added that if a satisfactory response was not received by the college by close of business on Friday, the union would "have no choice but to escalate to further action".
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, UCC confirmed it is engaging with the students' union on the issues raised, and it condemned the conflict in Gaza and called for an "immediate and permanent ceasefire".
"The destruction of homes, hospitals, universities, and schools in Gaza is horrifying and aid must immediately reach those suffering," the university said in a statement.
Among the measures outlined, the university said it will be establishing a Palestine Emergency Response Working Group which will involve student union representation.
It will also seek to identify ways to make existing Sanctuary Scholarships available to Palestinian students and expand the university's current Scholars at Risk programme.
UCC said it identified that one of the university's funds has a "very small exposure with an Israeli financial institution".
"This process is expected to conclude by the end of May," the statement added.
Similarly, Queen's University in Belfast said it will "divest investments in companies that are listed by the UN Human Rights Council as carrying out listed activities in relation to Palestine".
President and vice-chancellor Professor Ian Greer called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the actions of Hamas on October 7 as well as the "significant loss of life in Gaza over the past seven months, the Israeli targeting of Palestinian hospitals and education institutions, in particular universities".
The statements from both colleges follow Trinity College Dublin's decision on Wednesday to "complete a divestment from investments in Israeli companies that have activities in the Occupied Palestine Territory and appear on the UN Blacklist in this regard".
A five-day encampment by pro-Palestinian activists, which saw up to 70 tents pitched on the grounds of the Dublin university, ended following talks between the university's senior management and protesters.
The protest resulted in the closure of the college to the public and a blockade of the Book of Kells.
In a statement this evening, UCC students' union said it welcomed the response from UCC President John O’Halloran and that "for now, we will refrain from escalating actions further."
"We express our heartfelt gratitude to the remarkable student activists who have united in advocating for the Palestinian cause, as well as to everyone who participated in rallies, walkouts, and other actions in unprecedented numbers throughout the year," the statement said.
"We acknowledge that while the response received today is a step in the right direction, there is considerable work left to be done. Throughout this, our focus will be centred on the atrocities that are taking place and that continue to escalate in Palestine. We are committed to ongoing engagement with the university to maintain the prioritisation of the Palestinian cause."