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College Tribune | October 14th 2008
News Investigations News
UCD students arrested as fees campaign gathers momentum ■ Jennifer Bray Two students were arrested and one caution was given amid scenes of fury at last Monday’s protest. Approximately 150 students gathered outside the Clinton Auditorium to voice their concerns on the arrival of Finance Minister Brian Lenihan. “No Cutbacks, no fees, no Fianna Fáil TDs” was the rallying cry of students as they staged a sit town protest to block the minister’s entrance. “If they want to block our way to education, we will block there way into our campus,” said UCD Students’ Union officer Dan O’Neill over a megaphone to an enthusiastic crowd. A strong Garda and campus security presence were on hand to monitor the protest and two people were arrested for breaches of the peace. The arrests came following two minor scuffles, the first as the students began to sit in attempt to block the entrance at around 6pm, and then after Mr Lenihan entered secretly through the side door, much to the student’s dismay. One student claims “I was there when he arrived, and he ran scared into the side door of the building.” Chants of “this Government has disgraced themselves” filled the air following Mr Lenihan’s entrance through the side door. A further arrest took place as a number of students tried to break through the barriers erected by police. Speaking to College Tribune, Donnybrook Garda Superintendent Liam Hogan said, “hopefully we can find a way to negotiate. We are going to talk it through, and move the students to one side. We’re not looking for any rows.”
At this point the UCD Students’ Union decided to leave the protest to resume council. Protesters tried to block all exits from the Building, but after discussions with police it was agreed that the protest would remain at the front exit and the minister would exit through a peaceful protest. Following this however, Lenihan was rushed into a car followed by shouts of angry protesters, who retorted to the guards “liars, we wont trust you next time”. A spokesperson for campaign group FEE said, “The increase in the registration fee is an attempt to sneak fees in through the back-door, and belittles the rhetoric that only the wealthy would be targeted to fund education.” “In 2002, UCD students successfully blockaded Noel Dempsey inside the Veterinary Sciences Centre in Belfield for over two hours,
in response to the 69% increase in the registration fee brought in that year. We are looking to build on that tradition.”