The recent behaviour of Dolores Cahill, including throughout the entire duration of the current pandemic, is wholly unacceptable and it is past time for her to face disciplinary action from the UCD.

It has become increasingly apparent over the course of the last year, that Dr Cahill has subscribed to far-right conspiracies and anti-science. She has already been asked to resign from the EU's Scientific Committee of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, as well as the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.

In December, Dr Cahill posted a sixteen minute video online. In this video, she made the following claims:

The results from mRNA vaccine trials over the past 20 years have been so bad that no such vaccines have ever been licensed.

Coronaviruses only cause illness in the northern hemisphere between December and April.

Covid-19 can be prevented with Vitamins C, D and zinc.

The chances of dying as a result of Covid-19 are 1 in 1.8 billion.

Six-month lockdowns will cause entire populations to die six months younger.

The total number of deaths in Ireland as a result of Covid-19 by September 2020 was 100 people.

Coronaviruses are not fatal between May and September.

Facemasks reduce a person’s oxygen intake to dangerously low levels.

Coronaviruses are not spread by coughing or sneezing.

Prolonged wearing of facemasks can cause irreversible brain damage.

Unsurprisingly, every single one of these claims was later debunked. Every single claim that Dolores Cahill, a scientist and professor of medicine, made was a lie and contradicted all logic and science.

In the same video, she is also quoted as saying the following:
"I have said if you paid me £10 million I would not take [a vaccine], and if anyone forcibly injected me like they can potentially try to do in Australia, I would sue someone for attempted murder."

These lies, false claims unfounded by science, and conspiracies have culminated in Dr Cahill's actions today, 17th March 2021. She violated the current Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions to attend a mass gathering in Herbert Park, Donnybrook. There, she acted as a ringleader and gave a speech in which she continued to project her anti-science nonsense. She made claims including:

"Oxygen deprived people are easy to manipulate."

"If everybody stopped wearing masks this would all be over."

If her continued denial of all scientific facts is not sufficient for UCD to take action, we hope this is: today, Dolores Cahill broke the law. She undermined the continued efforts of the entire country to suppress the virus. Dolores Cahill's presence as a member of UCD's faculty undermines the integrity of our degrees, particularly those of the students studying medicine or science. 

For the entire duration of this academic year, UCD's students have made sacrifices. We have been unable to attend lectures or tutorials. Very few practical classes have gone ahead. We have acted responsibly and followed the University's Covid-19 protocols. Dolores Cahill has turned to us, given us a two-fingered salute, and said "I do what I want."

Her continued employment by UCD is not right and it is not just. It is a slap in the face to students, and to all those who have made sacrifices this year. It threatens the integrity of the School of Medicine. You cannot continue to employ a scientist, who does not believe in science. She must go.