The student sit-in at the Department of Education and Science on Marlborough St in Dublin ended this evening at when gardai used a battering ram to break open the door of the minister¿s conference room.
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The window to the minister's conference room at the Department of Education
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The names of the seven students involved in the protest were taken by gardai and were informed that they would be charged at a later date. The sit-in was ended at 6.20 p.m.
The protestors were then released via a side entrance to the cheers of other demonstrating students outside.
The seven students entered the department at 9.30 a.m. when they ran past the security gate into the minister's conference room and blocked the door by placing a table against it.
Speaking this morning from inside the conference room, Mr Noel Hogan, campaign officer of the USI, said: "This is the first of many direct actions, demonstrations and protests that will directly oppose the barriers to education that Minister Dempsey has imposed since taking up office."
Mr Colm Jordan, president of the USI, addressed a crowd of around 150 students protesting outside the department's gates.
He said: "We are not taking this drastic action for the sake of revolution, it is the only legitimate action we can take, as we cannot withdraw labour or remove investment"
"If third level fees were to be re-introduced, there would be dire consequences for Irish education," he warned.
The protest is connected to proposals to re-introduce fees for college students.
