Four men have been arrested following a protest outside a Belfast university.
On Thursday evening, November 14, a pro-Palestine demonstration was held outside Queen's University in South Belfast to coincide with Hillary Clinton's appearance at the three day Global Innovation Summit held at the university.
Protesters chanted “shame”, carried Palestine flags and a cut-out of Mrs Clinton depicted with blood on her hands. In a statement, Queen’s University said that while they respected the right to protest peacefully, it was “disappointed at the action of this small number of protesters and condemn their behaviour."
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The university added: “Today’s protest coincided with the final day of a three-day international conference, the Global Innovation Summit, which brought together political, industry and academic leaders to discuss pressing issues around economic inclusion and sustainability facing our world.
“The conference itself provided a platform for people to discuss and debate different views constructively on current global issues. Queen’s is committed to providing an open and safe space to have difficult conversations.
“Queen’s University has led the way in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East through calling for a ceasefire, providing scholarships for Palestinian students and divestment policies and has responded positively to the concerns of our university population where appropriate.”
Relating to the protests outside the university, a spokesperson for the PSNI said: "Police have arrested four men following public order offences in the University Road area of south Belfast. The men were arrested on suspicion of numerous offences and remain in police custody at this time.
"Officers will remain in the south Belfast area this evening and a full robust investigation will follow in due course."
While speaking at the Global Innovation Summit, Mrs Clinton said Belfast is “reinventing itself” after the end of decades of conflict. She added it was "an honour" to be the chancellor of Queen's University, and said she could not express "how pleased I am to be here."
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