UCC pro-Palestine group refuses to move protest camp for Friday conferrings

Students' Union accepts UCC's proposals — but the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions group say they will not be moved

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions group say their encampment will remain on UCC's Quad even during the summer conferrings on Friday. Picture: Karlis Dzjamko

A group of University College Cork students who are protesting over the war in Gaza have refused to move or remove an encampment in UCC's main quad ahead of conferrings on Friday. 

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) group also said they no longer wish to engage with the “current structure of negotiations” with the university.

It comes following “extensive and constructive dialogue” between the university, UCC Students’ Union, and the BDS group since the tents were set up two weeks ago.

A spokesperson for UCC said: “Through this engagement, we have built on our previous commitments to propose a set of substantial, time-bound and meaningful actions in response to the crisis in Gaza.” 

UCC's proposals to the BDS group and the Students' Union outline 23 actions it is willing to take. 

The proposals were supported on Thursday evening by UCC Students' Union, who said it “will ensure that these commitments are met as quickly and effectively as possible".  

The proposals include: 

• Establishing a group including Students' Union executive and SU-nominated students to develop a new ethical/human rights framework to govern all university partnerships and activites; 
• Reviewing all Horizon Europe grants to establish level of engagement with Israeli partners and identify any support required by principal investigator;  
• Supporting staff who may have concerns about working on research grants with Israeli partners;  
• Identifying the level of engagement between Tyndall National Institute and Israeli institutions;  
• Clarifying association between UCC's contracted travel provider and an Israeli company; 
• Applying to the HEA and other bodies for funding to develop a scholars-at-risk programme for displaced Palestinian scholars; 
• Applying to the HEA and other bodies for funding to support Sanctuary Scholarships for displaced Palestinian scholars. 

The UCC spokesperson said that, despite the “significant progress made, the UCC BDS group indicated [on Wednesday evening] that they no longer wish to engage with the dialogue and they intend to continue their encampment on the Quad”. 

“They have declined to move or remove the encampment in advance of the conferring ceremonies due to take place on Friday, May 31.

“Our offer to continue this process with UCC BDS remains open and we remain convinced that inclusive dialogue is the only way to resolve differences of opinion,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for the UCCBDS group said it has “not refused communication with UCC altogether” but is waiting for an offer that “addresses our key demands".  

These include discontinuing its direct ties to the Israeli Ministry of Health through the Horizon Group project and ending all other ties with Israeli institutions through this project.

It also requests the college to compile and release all information on research and financial connections between the Tyndall Institute and Israeli companies as well as non-Israeli companies “profiting from the occupation of Palestine".  

The BDS group added that it supported the “23 actions as the bare minimum for a collegiate institution in the context of genocide".