Students from Colleges across Ireland have formed an alliance in opposition to the proposals in this week’s referendum on citizenship. Students’ Unions in Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (DLIADT) have all passed motions calling for a “No” vote in Friday’s poll. They have now joined forces with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), the representative body of over 250,000 students in Ireland, in calling for the referendum to be defeated.

Paul Dillon, President of UCD Students’ Union, says that UCDSU took a decision to oppose the referendum “because students have always been to the forefront of human rights issues.”

“This is clearly an issue of human rights – we are shifting the roots of this country from inclusiveness to elitist bloodline citizenship in a way that demonises those of different ethnic origins.”

“This referendum is not about closing a ‘loophole,’” believes Dillon. “It is a fundamental shift in how we define citizenship. It means that children born to EU and non-EU students and workers, who add so much to our economy and culture, will not be citizens, whereas descendants of Irish people living outside Ireland, with no other connections with the country, will have citizenship rights.”

Dermot Looney, an activist in the UCD Anti-Deportation Campaign, says that “refugees, asylum-seekers and others from abroad are not responsible for the state of the country’s public services – this government are.”

“This is a cynical ploy on behalf of the PD/FF government to take away from their failure to properly fund public services such as health and education,” concluded Looney. “The government has employed racist sentiment against one of the most vulnerable sections in our society - pregnant asylum seekers, many of whom are fleeing poverty and violence that we can barely imagine. We cannot let this government destroy our reputation for humanity.”

Related Offsite Links
Campaign Against the Racist Referendum Website
Irish Council for Civil Liberties Referendum Materials
Why The Irish Refugee Council says Vote No
Irish Centre for Human Rights Analysis of Referendum Proposal