Trinity College has announced that the Book of Kells will remain closed to the public on Tuesday due to an ongoing student protest over the university's ties to Israel. 

Students set up an encampment in Trinity's Fellow's Square on Friday night, stating that the protest will remain in place "indefinitely" until their demands are met. 

They also blocked the entrance to the Book of Kells by stacking a number of benches in front of the doorway. 

Trinity College has restricted access to the campus to staff and students with a valid ID in order to ensure student safety. The university has also closed its libraries and sports centers until further notice. 

The Book of Kells will remain shuttered on Tuesday, Trinity College said, adding that all customers with paid bookings will be refunded. 

"The situation remains unchanged. Only staff, students, and residents have access to campus," a Trinity College spokesperson told the Irish Times on Monday. 

Students at Trinity College erected the encampment on Friday after the TCD Students' Union was fined €214,000 for disruptive protests held throughout the college year that caused financial losses for the university. 

Throughout the year, students held demonstrations focused on the university's response to the conflict in Gaza in addition to protests against fee hikes and a rise in accommodation costs. 

Outgoing TCDSU President László Molnárfi said the union will not be paying the fine, describing it as a clear attempt to intimidate students. 

"This is a clear attempt at intimidating, suppressing and threatening the student voice and student movement. We will not be paying. University management are issuing this fine because they’re scared of our power," Molnárfi said. 

Students, academics, and some politicians have criticized the decision to fine the TCDSU, with some describing it as setting a dangerous precedent. 

Molnárfi said the union will take legal action to challenge the fine if it is not withdrawn by the university. 

He told Newstalk that public support for the protest has been "absolutely overwhelming", adding that the protesters have received messages of support from students all over the world. 

Protesters also told RTÉ News that they are confident that the ongoing action will force Trinity College to cut all ties with Israel. 

The encampment has grown since it was established on Friday, growing to accommodate 50 tents by Saturday morning and more than 70 tents by Sunday evening. 

The Irish Times reports that informal negotiations between protesters and management are ongoing. 

Senator Annie Hoey, Labour's spokesperson for further and higher education, said the students were within their rights to hold the protest on campus. 

"The students have protested these issues consistently, and by Trinity’s rules, for the past number of months but there has been little response or action taken,” Hoey said.

"Protests that do not cause an interruption or nuisance for the University have been ignored. It is right for the students to escalate their protest.

"Solidarity with the students of Trinity College Dublin. They are doing the heavy lifting on this issue and we need to see our universities divest from being complicit in genocide."