Ethos

• This is an anti-zionist, pro-Palestinian liberation encampment, consequently, we support the right to resist occupation and oppose settler colonialism, and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.

Demands

As students, staff, and alumni of University College Dublin, we call on the University to:

1. Sever links with Israeli institutions through ending current academic ties, and by committing to creating no new academic ties with the settler colonial state of Israel.
2. Disclose all ties, academic and financial, to Israeli institutions or enterprises, including the full disclosure of the existence of any funds of the University which are held as stocks or bonds, or in investment funds. Commit to divest from Israeli companies and establish an oversight body, composed of representatives from the Students’ Union, UCD BDS and Academics for Palestine, to oversee this divestment.
3. Develop a policy on ethical investment. Immediately cut ties, financial or otherwise, into companies tied to weapons, military manufacturing, or ‘dual use goods’, Israeli or otherwise.
4. Provide a ring fenced number of scholarships for Palestinian students, through the University of Sanctuary programme, with supports to include accommodation and healthcare. Put resources into a specialised recruitment team in UCD Global to enable students to access the scholarships.
5. Create expedited pathways for Palestinian academics to work within UCD. Create partnerships with Palestinian Universities to provide sanctuary for displaced Palestinian academics, with a long-term commitment to assist in the rebuilding and re-constitution of academic life and infrastructure within Gaza.
6. Remove Israeli goods and supplier contracts from campus in line with the BDS campaign.
7. Release a public statement on behalf of the University, similar to when Russia invaded Ukraine, recognising;

1. The disproportionate onslaught of the Palestinian people by the Israeli state and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
2. The destruction of all Universities in Palestine, and the targeted murder of students and academics, as an unacceptable attack of academic freedom, expression and safety.
3. The inadequate response from UCD and a commitment to protect freedom of assembly and protest on campus, to protect students that take part in such protests, and to engage meaningfully with those protesting.

Include in this public statement a call for;

• An end to the genocide of the Palestinian people by the settler state of Israel.
• Call for the complete dismantling of the Israeli illegal and colonial settlements in Palestine.
• Call for the liberation of all Palestinian hostages and the right for displaced Palestinians to return.
• Call for a one-state solution, absent of any ethno-states in the region, allowing for a peaceful, democratic, and inclusive Palestine to flourish within the region.
• Call on the government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill and to expel the Israeli ambassador, in light of their continued propagandising for the Israeli state and attack on the democratic institutions of our country.

8. Create an anti-apartheid UCD campus through actions such as expanding de-colonial studies, holding space for discussions on Palestine and the settler-colonial state of Israel, and creating anti-apartheid criteria for awarding honorary degrees.
9. Fly the Palestinian Flag on campus in solidarity, similar to when Russia invaded Ukraine, until a permanent ceasefire is agreed.
10. Commitment to name the under-construction “Centre of Future Learning” building the “Refaat Alareer Centre for Learning”.
11. Give amnesty from internal University sanctions for students and staff involved in protest and commit to not pursuing legal charges.

This encampment will continue until these demands are met. As students and staff within University College Dublin, we will no longer accept the morally inconsistent and continued feigned neutrality of the University in the face of an ongoing genocide. We will not accept the inclusion of any neutral statement that condemns all forms of violence on both sides, which creates a false moral and material equivalence, underplaying the genocidal destruction Israel has unleashed on the Palestinian people.

Rules

• Uphold the principles of Al Thawabet and keep Palestinian voices to the fore, be cognisant of individuals' lived experience. No form of censorship or tone policing of Palestinian messages will be tolerated.
• No drinking, drugs, or sex. No smoking within the encampment, designated smoking area outside camp.
• Peaceful protest, do not engage in any vandalism of the campus, physical altercations, or acts which could elevate the protest to a criminal offence.
• No tolerance for islamophobia, anti-semitism or discrimination based on the 10 equality grounds of gender, race, nationality, class, age, sexual orientation, civil status, family status, religion, disability, and membership of the Traveller community.
• Everyone is responsible and has a role to play in keeping the encampment clean and functioning with an even distribution of labour to the best of your ability, including cooking meals.
• Adhere to the level of anonymity required, which may change as the camp continues, by wearing a face covering. Do not post pictures of faces on social media. Keep posting around the camp centred around Palestine and informational posts.
• Direct all press queries to the media/outreach team.
• Do not respond to outside agitators who taunt or insult, use de-escalation tactics or walk away from the situation to alert an organiser if you’re unable to remain non confrontational.
• Take the ‘Know your Rights’ training and be aware of how to keep yourself and others as safe as possible to mitigate risk.
• Communal living where food and supplies will be shared, leave any personal belongings or items which you don’t want used in your tent and do not bring anything of significant sentimental or monetary value as items may get broken or lost.
• No Irish political parties or logos.
• Respect the quiet hours within the camp, 11pm to 9am subject to change, as good quality sleep is essential for the sustainment of the camp by not talking or playing music in proximity of tents.
• For the safety of encampment members, repeated violation of the rules or serious offences will result in expulsion from the encampment.