The first meeting of board of the academic year 2024/25 is due to confirm the composition of the taskforce. We have had consistent meetings with the senior dean about this, and have written explicitly in collaboration with trade unions to get trade union representation on the committee.

Following update meetings attended by the former and current SU Presidents with the Senior Dean, it was confirmed in June that the process towards investment in the occupied territories had been completed. The process to divest fully from Israel has begun.

On the 3rd of May, 2024, a group of around 60 students and staff marched from Teach 6 to Fellows Square. Following weeks of planning, two packed lecture theatre meetings to plan and engagement from other encampments worldwide, students lined the staircase of Teach Mandella and awaited to begin. It had been originally planned for the following day, but following the leaking of the plan by irish right wing news site Gript of the plan to camp, the college was locked down and the students responded quickly.

Earlier that day, both the incoming and outgoing AMLCT/TCDSU teams met for what became a tense two hour meeting with the Provost and Dean of Students to the University. This meeting came about following the beginning of four disciplinary cases against student representatives, including Outgoing president Lászlo Mólnarfi, incoming president Jenny Maguire, outgoing communications officer Aiesha Wong, and president of the Trinity Postgraduate Workers Organisation, Seathrún Sardina. Furthermore, the college had also fined the union €214,000 for protesting throughout the year, and had sent an email to all staff and students condemning the union. Shortly following the meeting, the college were alerted to the leaking of the encampment
and locked down the campus.

At 8pm, the students walked in a line towards fellows square and threw down their tents in haste. A gazebo used by the students’ union during freshers week was set up in the centre, with tents in an aerial formation around it. Benches around the campus were stacked in front of the entrance to the Book of Kells, with SU President Lászlo Molnárfi posting a photo of it on X that stated “The Book of Kells is now closed indefinitely. No business as usual during a genocide.
@tcddublin cut ties with the genocidal state of Israel!”.

We received mass support both within and outside of the college, with a Trinity News poll at the time finding overwhelming support. The encampment lasted until the 8th of May, following three days of negotiations between the Senior Dean, the Dean of Students, a representative of the provosts’ office, both the incoming and outgoing AMLCT/TCDSU presidents, the chair of Trinity BDS, A representative of Academics for Palestine and the president of the Postgraduate Workers Organisation of Ireland.

Following an agreement in which TCD agreed to begin the divestment process with Israel, to set up a taskforce to investigate academic ties, and to increase scholarships for palestinians. They also publicly discussed the genocide for the first time since October 7th 2023. The taskforce is due to be agreed at board in September 2024. The fine and disciplinary actions were later dropped also.