Former students of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have described as "insensitive and ungracious" a planned visit by President Clinton to the college on Friday.
The students are among a group of 52 graduates and their families who were due to return to Dublin for a 10-year reunion in the college later this week. However, because of elaborate security measures surrounding the Clinton visit, their meetings and celebrations have been moved elsewhere.
RCSI authorities believe they have secured priceless publicity by persuading Mr Clinton to spend four hours at the college but they had not reckoned on the anger of former students.
Many come from Arab countries and are outraged that their alma mater should invite the US President following his bombing of alleged fundamentalist Islamist targets in Sudan and Afghanistan.
"This is a college for surgeons, dedicated to the saving of life. Yet this President is quite happy to murder people, especially when they are in the Arab world," said Dr Houriya Kazim, a breast cancer specialist based in London.
Dr Kazim, who comes from Dubai, said it was particularly insensitive for a college with so many students from the developing world to invite Mr Clinton.
The registrar of RCSI, Prof Kevin O'Malley, said the college was "very happy" to host Mr Clinton. It had no choice but to close down for other activities on Thursday and Friday.
"This is not a political institution which makes political judgments on people, no matter who they are," said Prof O'Malley. "It's strange that this kind of anti-Americanism comes out from under the stones at such times."
Other former students were more concerned with the Monica Lewinsky case. "It's quite simple - the man lied. You just have to question the man's integrity," said Dr Lorne Hurst, another alumnus now practising in Canada. "I can't believe this man is getting this treatment in your country."
Dr Hurst, who had planned to travel to Dublin with his family, now says there is "no point".
