IRISH actress Olwen Fouéré is one of three people to refuse to accept an honorary doctorate from the University of Galway over its ties to an Israeli institution.
Fouéré, along with filmmaker Margo Harkin and academic Professor Kerby Miller, declined the honours ahead of the ceremony on Thursday.
Galway-born Fouéré cited the university's 'extremely problematic' ties with Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, as the reason behind her decision.
Her announcement came after Harkin, who directed the drama Hush-a-Bye Baby and the documentary Bloody Sunday: A Derry Diary, revealed on Monday that she would not be accepting the doctorate.
Professor Miller, who gifted the university his vast collection of letters and documents charting the story of Irish immigration to America for its Imirce project, stated during an event on campus on Wednesday that he would also reject the honour.
According to its website, Technion's Advanced Defence Research Institute claims to bridge the gap between 'academic research institutions, security and defense organizations and Israel defense industries'.
The University of Galway announced in September that it was contractually obliged to continue alongside Technion on the Asterisk project, a green energy programme co-funded by the EU.
Fouéré, a highly-regarded star of stage and screen for almost 50 years, said Technion 'trains future Israeli military leaders and specialises in the development of tank and drone technologies used by the Israeli regime'.
A star of TV's The Tourist and Irish horror film The Watched, the actress said she was initially 'overjoyed' to be considered for the honorary doctorate and would be happy to collect the honour should the university sever its links with Technion.
'Massacre in Gaza'
"The University of Galway is close to my heart for a number of reasons, not least because the university houses the globally recognised Irish Centre for Human Rights whose staff has worked diligently to promote justice in Palestine and to condemn, with good academic and moral authority, the crime of genocide," she said.
"It is well known that several demands from University of Galway staff, researchers, students, and the wider community, to cut the University's ties with the Technion contract, have been met with avoidance, delay and legal obfuscation," she added.
"I had originally planned to accept the honorary degree and make a statement of intent to challenge NUIG's delay in terminating the Technion contract.
"I believed that I could take on this challenge more effectively from within, as a newly-conferred honorary alumni.
"After a great deal of thought, I have regrettably come to believe that the stronger, and perhaps more visible, action is in refusing to accept an honorary degree at this moment in the University's history.
"I would of course be more than happy to accept if and when the remaining ties with Technion were cut."
Fouéré called on the president of the university, the University Management Team and the Chair of its Governing Authority to fulfil the university's promise of divestment and to sever all ties with Technion.
In a letter to the university's president, Professor David Burn, Fouéré apologised for her late decision to refuse the honour.
However, she added: "The final piece of information which cemented my decision to withdraw is the fact that the Technion partnership appears to have been initiated and signed in April and December 2024, well into the ongoing massacre of Gaza.
"In this context, it should be remembered that Ireland itself, along with several other EU Member States, has repeatedly called for the suspension of Israel from the EU Horizon research programme."
At Thursday's ceremony, demonstrators from the Campus Anti Genocide coalition held a silent protest over the university's continued ties to Technion.
Jenin shootings
Meanwhile, the UN has said it is 'appalled' after footage appeared to show Israeli border police shooting dead two Palestinian men in Jenin in the occupied West Bank this week as they appeared to surrender, despite an apparent ongoing ceasefire.
"Following [Thursday's] incident, which was caught on film by a TV channel, an internal review was announced," said a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"But statements by a senior Israeli government official sought to absolve Israeli security forces of responsibility, raising serious concerns about the credibility of any future review or investigation conducted by any entity that is not fully independent from the Government.
"Our Office has verified that since October 7, 2023 and up until November 27, 2025, Israeli forces and settlers killed 1,030 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Among these victims were 223 children.
"Impunity for Israel security forces' unlawful use of force, and ever-growing Israeli settler violence, must end.
"UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urges independent, prompt and effective investigations into the killings of Palestinians, and that those responsible for violations be held fully to account."
A joint statement from the IDF and Israeli police said the incident was under review but claimed the men were 'wanted individuals… affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin'.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security, added on Twitter / X: "The fighters acted exactly as expected of them — terrorists should die!"
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