A university president wrote directly to the Minister for Justice appealing for more gardaí near campus saying students and staff were increasingly vulnerable to intimidation and anti-social behaviour.
Professor David Fitzpatrick of TU Dublin wrote after a video was posted of a shocking incident in which students were subject to a tirade of racist abuse at a Luas station near the college’s new Grangegorman campus in the capital.
In a letter to then minister for justice Simon Harris earlier this year, he said this had not been an “isolated occurrence” at the Broadstone light rail station.
Prof Fitzpatrick said that many students and staff had reported “incidents of intimidation and anti-social behaviour” at the Broadstone plaza and tram stop.
He said that people were encouraged to ring gardaí if they felt they were in immediate danger and that they were working hard to keep their campus safe.
His letter added: “However, we have received reports that the response is slow, and are also constrained by the fact that the University’s Estates and Security team cannot respond to off-campus incidents.
“This leaves staff, students and members of our local community vulnerable when availing of the vital transport links in Broadstone.”
Enhanced policing plan
He said the university had repeatedly asked for an enhanced policing plan for the area given the thousands of students that were now on campus.
And he pleaded with the Minister to ask that the upsurge in incidents be raised with senior gardaí in Dublin.
In internal emails, a TU Dublin staff member said that racist incidents like the one at Broadstone in February were “not a recent issue and something that is endemic”.
Their head of student support and wellbeing told colleagues: “We have reports going back years from students especially international students of problems with racism in Ireland.
“I think we need to take this one out of the politics and focus on how we can ensure that we have a culture that tackles racism within the university environment.”
On-campus rally
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act also detail how the university president Prof David Fitzpatrick raised concerns over an on-campus rally against racism to which he had been invited, but was unable to attend.
In an email to the head of the student’s union, he said he had understood the event had been for the university community to show support for those who had been victim to racist incidents.
However, he said key contributors from outside the university had spoken about matters that were not “focused on the topic at hand” while incorrect information about security provision at TU Dublin was given out.
Prof Fitzpatrick said: “The lack of control over contribution and lack of accuracy in media engagement has not served the event well.
“As a result, I am writing to advise that any further invitation for myself or members of the university to contribute to future events will not be addressed without specific, and confirmed, details regarding the other contributors and pre-defined details/facts that will be used in any media engagement.”
Asked about the records, a spokeswoman for TU Dublin said: “We can confirm a noticeable increase in An Garda Síochána presence in recent months.
“More importantly, we have not received any reports of racist intimidation or verbal or physical abuse from students, staff or members of the public since this incident in February.”
She said TU Dublin continued its work to make campuses a safe place and that they were committed to building a university environment that was anti-racist and intercultural.
