TWO PROTESTERS HAVE been arrested for public order offences on the University College Cork campus following a protest held by pro-Palestinian students. 

A man and a woman, both aged in their 20s, were arrested at the event held by the college’s Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) group UCC BDS.

The woman received an adult caution and the man was charged and has appeared before the courts, a Garda spokesperson said, adding that investigations were ongoing.

The protest was held to oppose a visit by Tánaiste Micheál Martin to The Gluckman gallery at the university. 

“No government politicians on campus until the Occupied Territories Bill is enacted!” UCC BDS said in a post on Instagram. 

The group said the protest had been peaceful and “was not intended to target or stain the reputation of the Gluckman staff, who have done trojan work to uplift diverse art and artists”. 

The Occupied Territories Bill would criminalise trade with and economic support for illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. 

Although the Bill has passed both the Seanad and the Dáil, it has remained stalled for years.

In May, Taoiseach Simon Harris said he had received legal advice which, “trade agreements are a European competence”. 

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