The following letter signed by Irish academics was sent to An Taoiseach on April 8th, 2025
A Thaoisigh,
On behalf of the undersigned academics and university workers we write to express our deep concern at a number of recent events that mark the cumulative erosion of democratic freedoms, accountability and the rule of law in this country.
On April 3rd, a student activist at Dublin City University was arrested for peacefully protesting the Irish government’s lack of action on Palestine, and facilitation of logistical support for genocide through the Irish airspace and Shannon airport. The videos circulating online show the An Gárda Síochána forcing students to the ground and then dragging one into a car. After being held at Ballymun Garda Station, the student was charged for offences contrary to the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. According to the statement released by the DCUSU BDS committee and witness reports, the An Gárda Síochána presence on campus was intense and the use of force excessive. As reported by the Irish Times, the statement also reports that the students ‘repeatedly asked’ gardaí for what offence the man was arrested, but that gardaí ‘refused to answer’. Such actions raise serious questions about the treatment of activists and students exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest. Additionally, the presence of law enforcement forces and the use of force on a university campus also raise serious concerns about the ability of academic institutions and authorities to protect and advance the safety of the university community, the freedom of speech and human rights.
On March 30th, a vigil was held outside the Dáil by Mothers Against Genocide who marked Mother’s Day by commemorating the more than 15,000 children killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged territory. UNICEF reported that in the 10 days since the ceasefire ended on March 18th an average of 100 Palestinian children a day weren killed or maimed by Israel. The mothers remained outside the Dáil overnight holding a candle lit vigil in solidarity with mothers in Gaza. They had planned to deliver a letter to the Government at 10am the following morning but they were violently removed by An Gárda Síochána before they were able to do so. Video and witness testimony show the disproportionate and unnecessary use of force against women who were peacefully exercising their right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, rights that are protected under Irish, European and international law. Reports that some women were subjected to strip and cavity searches while in police custody are deeply disturbing. Invasive searches of this nature constitute a gross breach of human rights violating a person’s physical, psychological and spiritual integrity. There may also be the additional intentional harm of using sexual abuse to offend and humiliate a person’s religious beliefs. There was a flagrant abuse of police power to intimidate these women and this must be thoroughly investigated and sanctioned.
In addition to these arrests, according to Palestine solidarity groups, there are at least 14 people facing trial for peacefully protesting against the ongoing use of Shannon Airport by the US military to support Israel’s genocidal assault on the occupied Palestinian territories. Under the Genocide Convention 1948, states are legally obligated to prevent, as well as to punish the crime of genocide. Israel is formally on trial for genocide at the world’s top court in the Hague and Ireland, as a party to the Convention, is therefore legally bound to take concrete steps to prevent genocide. On her recent visit to Ireland, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, implored the government to take “concrete actions” in line with these legal obligations. Failure to do so may render Ireland complicit in the crime of genocide under the Article III of the aforementioned Convention.
In contrast to the policing deployed to curtail peaceful protest, the government has failed to deploy any police to Shannon Airport to inspect US military planes, which have been allowed to transit through the airport unchecked for decades. The duty of An Garda Síochána is to uphold the law, not to facilitate violations of it. Moreover, online media outlet, The Ditch, reported that in the past week Germany’s national carrier, Lufthansa, ‘illegally transported more than a tonne of munitions through Irish territory to Israel on three flights’. Similar overflights transporting tens of tonnes of lethal weapons to Israel have been reported over the past six months with the Irish government seemingly unwilling to take steps to stop them. This blatant disregard for human rights norms in respect of the prevention of genocide, as well as the excessive use of force by police to curb peaceful protest must be understood as part of a broader trend occurring across Europe and globally where authoritarianism is on the rise and the criminalisation of protest, particularly actions in solidarity with Palestine, has become increasingly prevalent.
There is a broader context to this crackdown on pro-Palestinian protest that we cannot ignore. Recent chaotic scenes in the Dáil were the result of a controversial vote on speaking rights that will see government TDs acquire speaking slots that cut into the time allocated to the opposition to hold the government to account. We are concerned that this unprecedented move by the current government may be used to curb transparency, circumventing pre-legislative scrutiny. This concern is not unfounded. During the previous government, also dominated by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, along with 22 other organisations published an open letter that sounded the alarm on ‘abuse of parliamentary processes’ to ‘rush’ legislative proceedings.
Non-transparent procedures also relate to the attempt at dismantling the Triple Lock, which you previously described as being ‘at the core of our neutrality’. In January 2025 an Ireland Thinks opinion poll showed that 75% of Irish people support neutrality, a result that was reflected across all age-groups, regions and political parties, including Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voters. This would indicate that your government has no mandate whatsoever to dismantle it, and attempting to do so without consulting the people is a dangerous subversion of democracy. On March 26, a motion calling for a plebiscite on the Triple Lock was defeated. The rationale for the motion was to ensure respect for the democratic process, allowing the people to have their say on a matter of national importance. It is worth recalling that the Triple Lock was introduced during the second Nice Treaty referendum and commitments to it were reaffirmed during Lisbon referendum debates. Your government seems determined to erode Ireland’s neutrality against the wishes of the vast majority of the Irish electorate.
Beyond Ireland, we see the intensifying of efforts to silence those voices speaking out against the ongoing genocidal violence in Gaza. In the US, students and academics are arrested, detained, threatened with deportation and visa revocation for supporting the human rights of the Palestinian people. Last week, members of the German Parliament came out in support of a legislative reform that would allow the revocation of national citizenship for supporting the Palestinian right to self-determination. At the same time, we have learnt about the deportation orders issued against two Irish citizens living in Berlin for their alleged participation in pro-Palestine protests. In this context, the Irish government has a moral duty to stand against barbarity in support for equal human rights for all and the protection of the right to protest. As we actively support and encourage efforts in the Higher Education Sector to create universities of sanctuary and support Scholars at Risk (SAR), we are now witnessing our own students being punished and arrested for speaking out against the scholasticide happening in Gaza. This is a new, worrying step that we cannot stay silent on.
Any one of these events occurring as an isolated incident is a matter of concern. That all of the aforementioned events occurred over the course of a week and have, thus far, gone unchecked is deeply alarming. We call on you to urgently reflect on the direction of travel of this government. At a time of escalating geopolitical tension we need rational political leadership that is guided by the rule of law and moral integrity. We call on you to urgently redouble Ireland’s commitment to international law particularly the Genocide Convention, to protect Irish neutrality and the Triple Lock, and to safeguard the right to freedom of assembly and expression as rights that are at the core of a healthy democracy.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Patrick Bresnihan, Maynooth University
Dr Paola Rivetti, Dublin City University
Dr. Laurence Davis, University College Cork
Dr Ellen Howley, DCU
Dr Mark Walsh, Maynooth University
Prof Jennie C Stephens, Maynooth University
Dr Harun Šiljak, Assistant professor, Trinity College Dublin
Sharae Deckard, Associate Professor, University College Dublin
Mark Garavan ATU
Romeo Fraccari, PhD Candidate at University College Dublin
Robin Steve, University College Dublin
Dr Alfredo Ormazabal, TCD
Bartosz Bieszczad, UCD / TU Dublin
Orla Murphy University College Dublin
Dr. Karen Wade, UCD School of English, Drama, Film and Creative Writing
Rita Sakr, Associate Professor, Maynooth University
Alexey Lastovetsky, University College Dublin
Dr Mnemosyne Rice, Trinity College Dublin
Cristin O’Gorman, UCD
Martha Shearer, University College Dublin
Professor Helena Sheehan, Dublin City University
Dr Amy Strecker, University College Dublin
Prof John Barry, Queen’s University Belfast
Luca Pistilli, University College Dublin
Dr Seán L’Estrange, University College Dublin
Dr Rory Rowan
Dr Alastair Daly, Trinity College Dublin
Dr. Karen Smith, School of Social Policy, Social Work & Social Justice, UCD
Isabel Arce Zelada, UCD
Louise Glynn IADT
Dr Adrian Howlett, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Sarah Comyn (UCD)
Alexandra Day, Trinity College Dublin
Dr V’cenza Cirefice
Orlaith Darling, UCD
Paul Michael Garrett
Dr Niamh Gaynor, DCU
Mikhail Romanov, University College Dublin
Mary Moran (Radiography & Diagnostic Imaging UCD)
Cahal McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Mary Gallagher, UCD
Prof. Siobhán Wills, Director of the Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University
heike vornhagen, University of Galway
Naomi McAreavey, University College Dublin
Jim Roche, School of Architecture, Building and Environment, TU Dublin
Louise Glynn IADT
Dr Brian McCann, ATU
Daragh McCarthy
Mairead McCann Atlantic Technological University
John Buckley, IADT
Liam McGlynn, TU Dublin – Blanchardstown Campus
Patrick Brodie, University College Dublin
Theresa O’Keefe, University College Cork
Dr Brian Kelly, Reader in History, Queen’s University Belfast
Brian clare
Adam Kelly, Associate Professor, University College Dublin
Dr Michael Pierse, Queen’s University Belfast
Dr. Catherine Palmer, Munster Technological University
Philip Penny
Professor Camilla Fitzsimons
Dr Tom O’Dea NCAD
Audrey Halpin, Dublin City University
Elizabeth Kiely University College Cork
Sharon Lambert
Sarah Brazil, University of Geneva
Muareen O’Connor University College Cork
Dr. Mark Curran, Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT)
Féilim Ó hAdhmaill, University College Cork
Sean Kennedy (Saint Mary’s University, NS)
Alan Titley MRIA (UCC Emeritus Professor)
Prof Maggie O’Neill
Dr James Beirne, Ollscoil Mhá Nuad
Dr Rosie R Meade, UCC
Emmett Flynn (University of Limerick)
Dr Susan Giblin, Maynooth University
Mary Gallagher, UCD
Dr John Reynolds, School of Law & Criminology, Maynooth University
Dr. Eman Abboud – TCD
John Barry, Queen’s University Belfast
Dr Rosarii Griffin, UCC, Cork, Ireland
Elaine O’Mahony, University College Cork
Christine Chasaide UCC (Retired)
Dr Dara O’Brien, UCC School of Music
Prof Colin Coulter, Maynooth University
Enrico Secchi, Assistant Professor at University College Dublin
Dr Fintan Sheerin, Maynooth University
Prof Evan Keane, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Dean Phelan, School of Geography, University College Dublin
Niamh Rooney, MU Dept. of International Development
Karen Till
Gerry Kearns, Maynooth University
Criostóir King, Maynooth University
Prof Gavan Titley, Maynooth University
Alexander Musleh, UCC
Morten Greaves UCD
Dr Ricardo Segurado, University College Dublin
Amy McDonald, UCD College of Arts & Humanities
Dr. Seána Ryan, UCC
Miranda Bauer, UCD Students’ Union
Professor Kathleen Lynch UCD
Jacqui O’Riordan,university College Cork (retired)
Dylan Murphy, PhD Candidate
Joanne Dalton , UCD
Michael G Cronin (Maynooth University)
Eoin Flaherty, Maynooth University
Mairéad Magee, UCD
Dr Orla Kelleher, Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology
Brendan Ciarán Browne, Trinity College Dublin
James Steinhoff, University College Dublin
Dr Caroline Jagoe, Trinity College Dublin
Conor Kelly (UCD)
Zoë Lawlor, University of Limerick
David Ó Laigheanáin – Scoil na Gaeilge, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus an Bhéaloidis, UCD
Barry Finnegan – Griffith College
Leanna First-Arai, Independent Journalist & PhD Researcher at University College Dublin
Elizabeth Farries, UCD
Dennis McNulty (Trinity College Dublin)
Dr. Xosé P. Boán – University of Limerick
Douglas Carson, Design Fellow, School of Architecture, UCD
aisling hudson
Amin Sharifi Isaloo, University College Cork
Geraldind Kidd Independent Scholar
Mercedes Carbayo-Abengozar
Brendan ÓCaoláin, Griffith College Dublin
Brendan Morris, Lecturer, Griffith College Dublin
Bana Abu Zuluf (Maynooth University)
Dr. Seán Clancy (UCD)
Carolina Valles
Judy Walsh, UCD
Rashmi Guha Ray, PhD candidate, University College Dublin
Arpita Chakraborty
Aishowarza Manik, DCU
Emanuela Ferrari Maynooth University
Jean-Philippe Imbert, Dublin City Universiry
Ailish Brady UCD
Dr Huw Leggate, Dublin City University
Prof. Aoife Daly, University College Cork
Peter Tansey
Dr. Conor McGeough University of Strathclyde
Anne Mulhall, Associate Professor, UCD
Dr Fiona McDermott, Trinity College Dublin
Zakia Laassri
Dr Rachel O’Dwyer
Dr Patrick Doyle
Páraic Kerrigan, University College Dublin
Titaś Biswas, Doctoral Candidate, UCD School of Sociology
Dr. Fionnuala Brennan, South East Technological University
Kelvyn Fields, University College Dublin
Matt Prout, University College Dublin
Dr Fiadh Tubridy, Maynooth University
Cathal Seoighe, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe
Mary McAuliffe, University College Dublin
Charles Zemp (TCD)
Dr. Marie Moran, UCD
Elaine O’Mahony, University College Cork
Dr Chris Noone, University of Galway
Tyler Baxter, University College Cork
Dr Emer McHugh, Queen’s University Belfast
Roisin McMackin
Dr Michelle Rouse, Ulster University
Dr Deirdre Kelly, Technological University Dublin
Morten Greaves UCD
Maeve Connolly, Lecturer, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
Shane Reynolds (University of Limerick
Dr Ríona Nic Congáil, University College Dublin
Maggie Ronayne, Lecturer at the University of Galway
Bartosz Bieszczad, UCD / TU Dublin
Dr Andrew Ó Baoill, University of Galway
Samantha Williams, Trinity College Dublin
Gillian McNaull, Ulster University
Dylan Murphy, University College Dublin
Dr Seán L’Estrange, University College Dublin
Dr Peter Doran, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast
Stephanie Larkin UCC
Dr Natasha Remoundou-Howley (UCD & AUG(
Juliette Davret
Seán Rainford, PhD candidate, DCU
Edel Sullivan MTU Cork School of Music
Dr Úna Monaghan (QUB)
Eimear Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh, University College Cork
Dr Eileen Hogan, University College Cork
Jonathan Cosgrove
Kevin Hearty, QUB
Elizabeth Kiely University College Cork
Professor Laurence Cox, Maynooth
Kathryn Sheehan
Cathal Billings UCD
fiona murphy
Prof. Desmond J Tobin, University College Dublin
Melanie Labor (Maynooth University)
Michael O’Sullivan, University College Cork
Kevin Brennan – Technical University of Denmark
Lionel Pilkington, Emeritus Professor, University of Galway
Eamonn Slater Maynooth University
Elizabeth O’Shaughnessy Trinity College Dublin
Shane Horan
Prof John Gray University College London
Dr. Barry Cannon, Department of Sociology, Maynooth University
Professor Camilla Fitzsimons, Maynooth university
Rachel Brown Maynooth University
Dr Rebecca Usherwood, Trinity College Dublin
Roger Little, formerly Professor of French, TCD
Begoña Sangrador-Vegas, University of Galway
Peter Gosnell – Staff of Student Experience; Deputy President And Registrar; UCC.
Edward Molloy, Irish Studies, Saint Mary’s University, Kjipuktuk/Halifax
Dr Aoife Titley, Maynooth University
Peter Maybury, Lecturer, TU Dublin
Órla O’Donovan, University College Cork
Emily Sweeney (DCU)
Dr. Claire Brophy, Centre for Cultural Analytics UCD
Prof Evan Keane, Trinity College Dublin
Shadi karazi
Ana Ivasiuc, University College Dublin
Nasrin Khandoker, UCC
Marco Bellardi (UCD)
Dr Rhiannon Bandiera, School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University
Dr. Sarah Robinson, School of Applied Psychology, UCC
Gerard Cagney, Associate Professor, University College Dublin
Dr Emma Campbell, Ulster University
Mike Murphy, UCC
Síobhra Aiken, Ollscoil na Banríona
Kate McCarthy, South East Technological University
An Dr Pádraig Fhia Ó Mathúna, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe
Dr Elizabeth Meade, Maynooth University
Tim Groenland, University College Dublin
John Maguire, UCC
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