Belfast university dumps Mitchell after further Epstein ties emerge

Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) will end its relationship with George Mitchell, following new revelations in the latest trove of Jeffrey Epstein files released in the last week. A building on the university’s campus will no longer be known as the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. A bust of the former Senator will also be removed.

In a statement, the university said:

While no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.

As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen’s University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.

String of allegations facing George Mitchell

QUB’s claim of no wrongdoing by Mitchell is highly questionable. He remained in contact with Epstein years after the notorious paedophile was convicted in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution. This may not have been criminal wrongdoing, but was certainly the wrong thing to do.

A 2011 email present among the three million documents released by the US Department of Justice shows Epstein planning to meet with Mitchell and former secretary of state for Northern Ireland Peter Mandelson in New York. Mandelson has resigned in disgrace due to continuing details emerging about his links to Epstein.

Other allegations against Mitchell are more sinister. A horrifying letter written in code by a 16-year-old abused by Epstein reads:

They are always flights of horror whether it’s with Jeffrey, Mr. Leonsis, Mr. Case, Mr. Snyder, the Gregorys, Mr. Colgan or one being borrowed by a seemingly good federal worker and even rented, it is all horror.

And nothing is as it seems, I am so confused by everything and people you expect to be good like even Senators like George Mitchell who you think will be like a grandpa are bad. Mr. Kimsey is deranged.

Those mentioned appear to mostly be prominent US business figures. A previous email release suggested a victim of Epstein’s crimes:

…was required to have sex with friends of Ms Maxwell and Mr Epstein, including Glenn Dubin, Les Wexner, Ehud Barak, former Senator George Mitchell and Stephen Kosslyn.

Mitchell has previously described his relationship with Epstein as a “blessing”. In 2019, Virginia Giuffre accused Mitchell of raping her. She died by suicide in 2025.

George Mitchell — scholarship body cuts its losses

The US-Ireland Alliance has also separated from Mitchell. It describes itself as:

…proactive, non-partisan, non-profit organisation dedicated to consolidating existing relations between the United States and the island of Ireland and building that relationship for the future.

It offers scholarships for US students to study in Ireland. The website is keen to stress the body’s role in generating future “leaders”. It’s reasonable to ask why we’d want the people who should be our representatives pre-selected for us via Ivy League universities and unaccountable institutions. The better option is to have them rise through more organic popular movements, such as trade unions.

The question is even more timely as the Epstein revelations show us the utter depravity of the ruling class the former system has produced. In a statement today, the Alliance said:

The board of directors of the US-Ireland Alliance has unanimously agreed that its George J. Mitchell Scholarship program should no longer bear the former Senator’s name.

The decision was made due to new information that has come to light as part of the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by the Department of Justice on Friday, according to Trina Vargo, founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance.  

Vargo, like Mitchell, was previously involved in the North of Ireland peace process.

Time to end all boot-licking tributes to wretched US ruling class

Mitchell has been a revered figure among the establishment in the Six Counties for his role as chair in the talks which culminated in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

He was invited to speak in front of a group of teenagers at the university as recently as April 2025, which seems like a deeply irresponsible decision given the credible accusations against him. Mitchell’s removal is long overdue.

Fawning tributes to powerful Americans were always pathetic, but the latest revelations add an additional element of disgust to the sycophancy. While they’re ridding us of Mitchell, Queen’s can go one better — kick warmonger and fellow Epstein associate Hillary Clinton out of her role as chancellor.

Featured image via the Canary