Wednesday, October 16, 2019
thecollegeview.com
Students join Extinction Rebellion’s week long climate protest . Est. 1999 .
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tudents across Ireland joined Extinction Rebellion in a week long effort to disrupt Dublin city which began on Monday October 7th. Students rallied together with protesters from across the country in civil disobedience, shutting down roads in an effort to force the government to take radical action on climate change. On Tuesday the rebels marched for a “just transition” and held a sit down protest outside the Dáil, closing down Kildare Street and Molesworth Street. Placards held high above the crowd displayed the sentiment of the protesters. Phrases such as “stop denying our planet is dying” and “planet before profit” were used while the crowd began to sing “gardaí we love you, we’re doing this for you children too.” DCU Masters in Climate Change, Policy and the Media student, Cormac Nugent described the “Just transition” protesters were marching for as meaning no one in society gets left behind. As we transition “certain jobs are going to be lost but others will be created and what we need to do is make sure people are brought up with soci-
ety as we change and not left behind and burdened with taxes,” he said. Masters student in Conservation and Ecology in Queens University, Raymond Roche echoed this saying that we need to strive for system change to solve our climate disaster. “In the capitalist system that we’re living in, where everything of production is for profit, it is not sustainable that you can live in a just society that’s going to benefit the animals, the rain-forest....if there’s a constant feed for profit you’re going to have to knock down the trees,” he said. However, other protesters said they were there because they felt guilty for the world they were leaving behind. One protester from Cloughjordan eco-village, Toni Ryan said, “As an older person...I feel terrible that it’s up to the young people, I feel really sad. What sort of world are they going to have?” She said that climate change was not on the government’s agenda soon enough but that she is here to help young people “put climate change at the center of the government’s agenda so that radical action can be taken.” While protesters said they received a lot of support from passers by on the street many civilians took to twitter to
voice their opposition to the rebellion. One Twitter user @Lee88Jay referred to the extinction rebellion protesters as “muppets” and “self-righteous lunatics” after they stormed Penney’s on O’Connell Street to highlight the environmental impacts of fast fashion on Wednesday October 9th. The protesters also faced backlash after one rebel grounded a flight from London City Airport to Dublin after refusing to take a seat or leave the plane on Thursday October 10th. “Lecturing a flight from London to Dublin isn’t going to save climate change. Rich people using private jets daily are a much bigger impact than wee Maureen off on holiday to enjoy a pint. Extinction Rebellion are something else” posted Twitter user @123emmab. At the time of writing this article, four men and a woman who had chained themselves to the railings outside Dáil Éireann had been arrested as part of the Extinction Rebellion campaign in Dublin. Hundreds more have been arrested in similar protests across the globe. The rebellion ended on Sunday October 13th, however, protesters said it could last longer and this protest certainly won’t be the last.
Credit: Aoife O’Brien
Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1
Londis launched on St Pat’s along with campus store Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque | Editor-in-chief @BrendanFKP
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ondis opened a new store on St Patrick’s campus last Thursday after delays which lasted months. DCU’s Londis manager told The College View that they originally wanted to open the store back in January, but they first had to get planning permission from both the landlord and Dublin City Council. The manager, Donnie Christian, said that: “I was basically told when
Highlights
we launched the Glasnevin store [that] I was to be in a position to get ready with Pat’s, but unfortunately it’s been a long time coming”. Christian became the retail manager for DCU in March 2018. Planning permission wasn’t the only thing that delayed the store’s grand opening - according to Christian, they also had to meet “unbelievable” fire regulations. He said: “Because there’s no front doorway or no exit onto the perimeter of the building, there’s some laws regarding the fire certificate where if
you are a retail store within an airport or educational building then you must follow stricter fire guidelines than anyone else.” The store itself is largely identical to the one on Glasnevin’s campus with the notable exception of a deli. Christian said there wasn’t enough space to fit one, but there’s still a Bewley’s coffee dock. Following in the sustainable footsteps of the Glasnevin store, they only use compostable docks and lids. Londis also gives 10 cents to Pieta House - a charity which helps suicidal
people - every time a customer brings their own reusable cup. Another difference between the two stores is their opening hours - the Glasnevin store is open from 8am to 10pm, while the St Pat’s one will only be open from 8am to 6pm. Christian explained that: “We’ve been watching the student life very very closely in St Pat’s and we’re very aware that St Pat’s get quieter a lot faster than Glasnevin does” As well as a new Londis, a DCU campus store was opened up in St Pat’s - similar to the one beside the U
that was launched during the Summer. Chrisitian said that his staff would mix between the four stores. Bachelor of religious education and music student Amber Mac Aodha said that while the store was small, it was nice to have and cheaper than the canteen. When asked how necessary it was considering a Tesco and a Mace are located right outside St Pat’s, she said: “It’s more convenient than it is necessary, but I have found that in the past the Tesco across the road is always super busy”.
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