David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Colleagues will remember that I raised previously the unilateral and unjustified closing down of the bank accounts of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign by the Bank of Ireland at the behest of the Israeli Government. Last night, I spoke at a TED Talks event in Trinity College before which there was a sponsored reception in the on-campus premises of the Bank of Ireland. When a spokesperson for the bank talked about encouraging the exchange of ideas and freedom of speech, I shouted up to ask why, in that case, the bank unilaterally closed down the accounts of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign. While I was then love-bombed by the staff of Bank of Ireland, I subsequently discovered the students were contacted and told their sponsorship might be withdrawn. It is a most extraordinary thing. This morning, I contacted the TED Talks people in Trinity to find out the amount of the sponsorship so that I could cover it in the event that the bank withdrew it. I was told, however, that the matter was covered by confidentiality clauses. So much for Bank of Ireland, freedom of expression and the exchange of ideas. This hypocrisy richly deserves to be exposed.