Students in Ireland, Switzerland join Gaza protest wave

DUBLIN, May 4: Students at Trinity College Dublin and Lausanne University in Switzerland have staged occupations to protest against Israels war in Gaza, joining a wave of demonstrations sweeping US campuses.
 
In Dublin, students built an encampment on Friday that forced the university to restrict campus access on Saturday and close the Book of Kells exhibition, one of Irelands top tourist attractions.

The camp was set up after the students union said it had been fined 214,000 euros ($230,000) by the university for losses caused by protests in recent months, not exclusively over Gaza. The protesters were demanding that Trinity cut academic ties with Israel and divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Students union president Laszlo Molnarfia posted a photograph of benches piled up at the entrance to the building housing the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript created by Celtic monks in about 800 AD. Trinity College said it had restricted access to students, staff and residents to ensure safety, and that the exhibition would be closed on Saturday.

More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israels seven-month-old assault on the Gaza Strip, say health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave. The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct 7,
killing 1,200 people and abducting 252 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.    —Reuters