Pro-Palestinian protesters gather on the campus of Columbia University in upper Manhattan last week. Photograph: Bing Guan/The New York Timesfailed to take off here in recent months in the same way that have in the US, despite the best efforts of many involved.
Trinity would appear to have scored an own goal. It has to lock its gates over the weekend after a camp modelled on the ones sets up on US campus’s sprang up. Where things go from here is not clear but scenes similar to those seen on campuses the US in recent days are unlikely, but the question remains as to why it took for long for Irish student protests to register with the public.
Support for displaced Palestinian students and academics is also part of the platform. In the letter they pointed out: “The International Court of Justice has determined that the actions of the Israeli state toward the captive civilian population of Gaza may plausibly constitute genocide, a view shared by the Irish Government.” They might equally have added that Ireland is one of the EU countries pushing for recognition of the Palestinian State and has declared its intention to do.