People Before Profit Galway’s Denman Rooke attends Technion protest at University of Galway
PBP Galway says the University of Galway cannot hide behind “contracts” to excuse its collaboration with a genocidal state. The ASTERISK research project, which is co-funded by the EU, is co-ordinated by the University of Galway and involves the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel.
PBP candidate for the Galway West By-Election Denman Rooke joined protestors calling for the university to cut ties with the Israel-based institution, and said “it is frankly laughable to hear the University talk about having contractual and legal obligations to an entity like Technion, which provides weaponry to the IDF and is based in country that has completely disavowed international law.”
Rooke spoke to organiser Oisín Kelly from the University of Galway Palestine Solidarity Society, who said “they [the university] have not released one iota, one shred of evidence or defence legally for their continued cooperation with Technion, and in fact the Irish Centre for Human Rights […] have produced a statement saying that Irish law is beholden to international law which supersedes any European contract law”.
Rooke said that Ireland’s history as a country that has always stood alongside the oppressed against colonialism should be a source of pride, and that safeguarding that tradition was the responsibility of every Irish person, group and institution. He called on the University of Galway to “fulfil its responsibilities under international law and rip up the Technion contract”.