University College Dublin (UCD) have been widely condemned after they issued a short statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A tweet on Monday afternoon from the Dublin 4 college read: "University College Dublin joins the Irish Government and wider society in its concern with the situation in Ukraine, and in particular with the violation of international law and the unnecessary and tragic human suffering and loss of life.
"We are offering support to students, staff, faculty and collaborators affected by the crisis and urge any affected member of our community to stay in touch."
There was instant uproar about the language used by UCD, with many noting that the word "situation" was used to describe the invasion.
And now it has led to a professor to hand in his resignation.
Ben Tonra tweeted in response: "I am deeply, profoundly ashamed. From ‘Ireland’s Global University”.
"With immediate effect I am resigning my role as the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law’s Vice Principal for Internationalization and Global Engagement at UCD Dublin. Based on the statements and response of the University’s leadership to the invasion of Ukraine and the role of the Confucius Institute on campus, it is clear to me that I do not share the values underpinning UCD’s global engagement strategy.
"I will continue my teaching and research as Full Professor of International Relations at the UCD School of Politics and International Relations and the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law where I am privileged and proud to serve."
In an interview with college paper The College Tribune, Mr Tonra added: "It goes beyond the statement, the statement was the final straw, I have spoken to [unnamed] colleagues who indicate that there was genuine reluctance on the part of the university to make any kind of a stronger statement with respect to Ukraine simply because of their fear that it would set a precedent for any questions or comments relating to the Confucius Institute and the Irish Institute for Chinese Studies.
“Look at the statements issued by any other credible international universities and compare and contrast it to that of UCD, you don’t need me to tell you what the problem is."
