Visa aid urged for Palestine students approved for Irish HE

On Tuesday 19 August, a group of around 80 protesters assembled outside the Department of Foreign Affairs to demand the Irish government facilitate the evacuation of Palestinian students with places at Irish universities, reports Theo Puech for The University Times.

The protest was organised by a number of student bodies – Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT), TCD BDS, UCDSU, UCD BDS, DCU SU, DCU BDS, NCAD SU and the Student Neutrality Front. The government, despite demand, has cited resource issues for the failure to grant the students their visas. Other demands included in the protest were streamlining the process for future applicants, removing unnecessary hurdles, and mitigating the risk of more students being stranded.

The protesters heard testimony from one of these students, who has offers to study biomedical engineering at University College Dublin and University of Limerick under the Sanctuary Scholarship programmes but has been unable to leave Gaza.
Full report on The University Times site