2017 Press Releases
Statement: Proposed conference in UCC
The University Management Team at its meeting on the 16th January 2017 considered the matter of the proposed conference entitled ‘International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Responsibility and Exceptionalism’.
Members of the management team expressed their disappointment and concern that this conference came to the University’s attention through public discourse and social media and not in a formal request for approval or correspondence directly with the University.
The meeting noted the following:
• the proposed event is not a University-sponsored or promoted event but has been invited to the University by a number of academic staff holding positions within the University;
• the proposed conference has previously been the subject of cancellation at the University of Southampton and of judicial review proceedings in the English High Court;
• the website promoting the conference indicates that post the University of Southampton’s decision, other European Universities had been asked to host the event and refused;
• the proposed dates of the conference i.e. 31st March – 2nd April ’17 are during term time. The Western Gateway Building will be fully operational on those dates with potential disruption of access to students and staff arising from the conference. The conference is not permitted to proceed on the dates proposed which are in term;
• the University’s security infrastructure and staffing is inadequate to deal with the management of security for the event given that the University is already on notice of protests. Additional security will have cost implications.
The Management Team concluded that it is prepared to permit the conference to proceed on the fulfilment of the conditions which include the following:
1. a revised date for the conference needs to be agreed with the University which is out of term and not clashing with University examinations.
2. the submission of an Event Management Plan [“EMP”] by the organisers for the agreement of the University which covers all aspects of the conference organisation. No date for the conference can be agreed until the EMP has been finalised;
3. based on the Event Management Plan, the provision of a budget by the organisers to cover any additional costs to the University, particularly additional security costs.
The University’s approval is contingent on agreement on and fulfilment of its conditions.
Ends