U of O protesters end sit-in after nearly a week

A group of mostly student protesters who've been occupying the University of Ottawa's main administration building for nearly a week to protest systemic on-campus racism say they're bringing their sit-in to an end.

The protesters announced around 3:15 p.m. that the sit-in at Tabaret Hall would wrap up, after failing to secure a public meeting Wednesday with university officials.

"We were not prepared to stay here four or five days, while also dealing with the pandemic," said Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce, one of the protest's organizers.

We have shown the university, we have shown the Ottawa community, and we have shown the national community what we organizers have been dealing with for over a year.- Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce, sit-in organizer

"And while anti-Black racism does cause many deaths and harms to people, we also have to take into account the safety of our allies, friends, family and those that have come out to support us."

The sit-in emerged out of a day of action held on Friday, Dec. 4, when students met with the co-chair of the newly formed action committee on anti-racism and inclusion. 

University president Jacques Frémont announced that committee in November, following a clash over academic freedom sparked when a part-time professor used the N-word in class and was subsequently suspended.

There have been other encounters condemned as racist over the past few years, including when Koulmiye-Boyce himself was carded and handcuffed while skateboarding on campus.

Frémont's announcement last month led to the dissolution of another committee many of the protesters sat on, and say had already put forward strategies for eliminating on-campus racism.

For six days, students had occupied Tabaret Hall, which houses the offices of the university's administration. They'd been demanding a meeting with university officials, including Frémont and Jill Scott, provost and vice-president, as well as concrete action rather than more meetings and committees.

'Tremendous win'

Koulmiye-Boyce said the end of the sit-in was not a sign they had failed, but rather a "tremendous win."

"We have shown the university, we have shown the Ottawa community, and we have shown the national community what we organizers have been dealing with for over a year," he said during a virtual conference call.

The protesters also felt their security threatened by two "extremely racist men" who showed up at Tabaret Hall during the sit-in and yelled anti-Black and anti-Semitic slurs, Koulmiye-Boyce told CBC News afterwards.

In the end, the university ended up proposing a meeting behind closed doors for Thursday, but Koulmiye-Boyce said they would not accept those terms and that any meeting would have to be public.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the University of Ottawa had not responded to CBC's request for comment.

In an email to members of the university community on Wednesday night, the university said "the voice of the protestors has been heard." 

"We absolutely condemn racism, harassment, racial slurs and discrimination on our campus," reads the email. It referred to its anti-racism and inclusion committee, and said it appointed a special advisor to co-ordinate its work. 

"The university invites the students who took part in the sit-in to respect this process on behalf of other students, faculty and staff on campus who deserve to have their voices heard as well."

The sit-in's organizers said they'd now be taking their campaign — which includes demands like creating a specific anti-racism office and expanding and clarifying the U of O's existing anti-racism policy — online, with renewed vigour after both exams and the holidays wrap up.

"We're not asking for the moon," said Dilaye Desta, a recent graduate who served as director of community engagement for the Black Student Leaders Association.

"A lot of things that were put in our demands have already been implemented by a lot of other universities across Canada."