From the fringes of mainstream political discourse, rioting has become almost commonplace, most harrowingly demonstrated in scenes of protest, riots, and looting across Ireland and the United Kingdom. One thing is clear: the undercurrent of anti-immigrant sentiment and racism, coupled with widespread misinformation, is leading to concern from students about security following students’ return to campus.
This concern over today’s volatile political climate is inevitably coupled with the recent memory of riots breaking out in Dublin’s inner city last November, just metres from Trinity’s front gate. Many students witnessed fires raging, buses being destroyed, and other students scrambling to support one another. It was a night many students and Dubliners will never forget.
Given Trinity’s city centre location, protection from riots and other security threats is at the forefront of the minds of people whose job it is to keep students safe. It is also frequently in the minds of students from overseas or immigrant backgrounds who might feel targeted by these riots.
“’It feels like we’re fighting back against the far right’”
In a statement to Trinity News, an anonymous source spoke about the experience of being a person of colour during recent unrest. Despite only “passing through Belfast during the riots”, meaning that she “didn’t see them personally”, the turbulent atmosphere in the city became even more unsettling after the event itself. “I do personally feel more unsafe following the riots, particularly seeing clips where they encouraged teenagers to beat and harass Asians,” the source told Trinity News. What has brought her comfort has been the “solidarity movements, counter-protests, etc. […] the kind of thing, [which] makes me feel safer since it feels like we’re fighting back against the far right.”
Annika, a source close to the November Dublin riots, reflected in a statement to Trinity News that the Thursday evening initially marked the “promise of a true Thanksgiving dinner coupled with Irish dancing and music, with family friends amongst other Americans who had flown in for Thanksgiving.” “As the daughter of immigrants”, Annika continued, “my Thanksgiving looked different than the traditional holiday. Rather than blood relatives, our table was filled with other families of various nationalities and ethnicities.” This evening of celebrating family and connection was immediately disrupted by a call from a friend who warned that the rioting was coming dangerously close to her evening event.
The juxtaposition was not lost on Annika; a day focused on gratitude and community, particularly at such a diverse dinner table, had been disrupted by scenes of violence and disorder. Annika recalled immediately feeling sick: “the joy of the holiday had gone: it was not safe to come home”. This experience left her “isolated in the very city that had welcomed [her] for the past two and a half years”.
Yet, a hopeful phenomenon has emerged in reaction to these expressions of violence. While certain extremist groups have mobilised in numbers this summer, the counter-protesters have proliferated consistently to a much larger scale. So, for those citizens who exclaim, “Is this truly who we have become?” The counter-protests have arguably proven that in the all-important “court of public opinion”, the rioters are not winning.
To some extent, the assertion of Ireland’s values of inclusion, diversity and justice have been strikingly ever-present in citizens’ responses. This was evident on that November night when students came together to show solidarity – providing places to stay, food and shelter for all those who could not leave due to the rioting. A witness to events on campus recalled the experience being incredibly “sudden” but that there was a clear and immediate student response, leading her to describe the whole event as “surreal”. Yet, notably, they felt safe inside “the Trinity walls”.
“’Trinity is home to a diverse student population… This difference must be acknowledged’”
However, the question remains: can and should more be done to ensure the safety of all students, particularly students of colour, given the current climate? The new Trinity College Student’s Union (TCDSU) President, Jenny Maguire, acknowledged this issue, stating: “College must recognise that its duty of care extends to all students.” She noted: “Trinity is home to a diverse student population, and this diversity brings about difference. This difference must be acknowledged.” With over 26% of students registered as international and this huge diversity lending to Trinity’s appeal, Maguire recognised a “difference in the experience of how you move around the world and how safe you are in the world. With the rise of outright hateful, racist protests, our experiences in our studies and social lives have been fundamentally shifted. College must firstly acknowledge this and then accommodate it.”
TCDSU Communications Officer Beth Strahan stated that in “the Students’ Union, it is very important that we platform and prioritise student safety and wellbeing without fostering a fearful mindset on-campus. Practical support can be offered via the SafeZone app, where students in Trinity, both in on-and-off-campus locations, can easily and quickly contact security if they feel unsafe.” She joined the calls from Maguire that “the college must take any and all action to protect their students, and TCDSU/AMLCT endeavours to continue on from the amazing crisis handling seen from students during late November of last year”.
The handling of security on campus was also celebrated by college leadership, including Provost Linda Doyle, who stated that during the Riots, we saw “the very best of Trinity”. Many buildings, such as House 6, the Graduate’s Memorial Building (GMB) and the 1937 Reading Room remained open to students, with many students also taking on leadership roles to ensure that everyone stayed safe. One anonymous source noted that they didn’t feel they “should have that much authority” and that while it was a true “coming together moment for Trinity”, it was “odd to be in that situation where you had to become an authority figure… even in a very loose sense”. Trinity’s media relations team said in a statement to Trinity News that “the safety of our students, staff and visitors to the University is of paramount concern to us at all times. We continue to maintain regular contact with the Gardaí, who update us regarding the general levels of activity in the city, which helps us plan accordingly.”
“This difficulty in retaining Gardaí officers begs questions of the sustainability of the increase of Garda presences…”
The riots of recent times have made many feel unsafe and under threat – there has been an apparent increase in recent months in the level of Gardaí presence across Dublin. The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris stated to multiple new outlets during the November Riots that this would be a key priority for the government. Policies such as increasing the retirement age from 60 to 62 within the Garda Síochána are key strategies to ensure that security presence continues to be capable of dealing with future riots or disorder and to address the declining numbers joining the force in recent years. This difficulty in retaining Gardaí officers begs questions of the sustainability of the increase of Garda presences and security in Dublin city centre. While Trinity News did reach out to The Garda Síochána for comment on this piece, they did not respond.
While there are more significant questions on an international and national level surrounding the rise of the alt-right and the activities of these groups on unregulated social media giants, it is clear that those closest to students and closer to campus have not forgotten the riots of last November, and they will continue to affect the approach to student safety for some time.
Given the nature of this issue, Trinity College’s Student Counselling Services (SCS) acknowledged the added stress these sensitive events can place on students, particularly in terms of “managing our emotions and anxiety levels while also potentially triggering or escalating ongoing anxiety and mental health issues”. The SCS offers a wide range of supports for students who might have been affected by issues mentioned in this article or who are seeking help. This includes drop-in groups, Support and Needs Assessment Planning (SNAP) appointments (term time only), and daily emergency appointments, among many other supports. For more information, please visit the following website Studentcounselling – Student Counselling | Trinity College Dublin (tcd.ie), or email at [email protected].
