Students left without toilet facilities, as private management company locks activists into occupied Dining Hall
The Workers’ Party society based in Trinity College Dublin have called for the urgent reversal of the lock-in of student protestors in the College’s Dining Hall. The lock-in comes over 24 hours after an occupation of the Dining Hall by students began.
Workers’ Party secretary Josh Brady, who is in occupation of the hall, said:
“The way management have reacted to our actions confirms exactly the sort of attitude we have been protesting against – total disregard for the rights and voices of students.
“A private security company – totally external to Trinity’s own security staff – have been brought in to seal the hall, meaning anybody who leaves can no longer get back in. This also means that those of us currently occupying the Dining Hall are left without toilet facilities. We received no warning whatsoever that management intended to do this.”
Workers’ Party councillor Éilis Ryan said:
“Trinity College is a publicly-funded institution which receives public money to work in the interests of students – nothing else. For them to show such blatant disregard for the right of students to protest goes against everything that public education should stand for.
“We are calling for an immediate end to all attempts to forcibly end the students’ occupation of the Dining Hall – in particular reinstating access to bathrooms as a priority. The private security company in operation at the protest should be immediately removed.”