U of T raises concern about actions in Pro-Palestinian encampment
'We're not here to destroy,' says organizer as school warns protesters could be charged
The University of Toronto says members of a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus are engaging in actions that are putting protesters at risk of being charged with trespass and destruction of property.
The university said in an update on Friday that it has been communicating with a student representative of the encampment in person and in writing as the demonstration continues for a second day. The protesters are calling for the school to divest from Israel.
"We have conveyed our expectations and shared our observations regarding actions that have contravened them, including lack of crowd control, health and safety risks, destruction of property, and use of language that is considered discriminatory, threatening or hateful," the university says in its latest missive to the U of T community.
"We have made it clear that these activities fall outside of our policies and relevant law and are considered unauthorized on our private property."
The encampment — one of several set up at Canadian university campuses in recent days — went up early Thursday morning after students said they breached the fence.
On Thursday, the university said the tents, banners and flags were a safety concern and it had asked the students to leave by 10 p.m. However, it said it would not remove the students if their activities remained peaceful.
On Friday, the university said the protest had evolved and that it had received several questions and reports of "concerning language" being used in signs and chants.
Mohammad Yassin, a protest organizer with U of T Occupy for Palestine, said earlier Friday those concerns weren't brought to the group directly.
"We are students, it's our space. We're not here to destroy," he said.
"We are trying our best to keep decorum here, and we do not endorse any kind of destruction of property or violence," said Yassin, adding the group has "cracked down" on anyone suggesting it.
'A humanitarian cause,' says protest organizer
Yassin said members scheduled a stress relief workshop, prayers, a Shabbat dinner and movie screenings Friday.
He said there's a strong sense of community among protesters, with support coming from far beyond the Palestinian community, citing the group Jews Say No to Genocide as one example.
"We've had the level of support that we couldn't even imagine from all kinds of groups," said Yassin.
Yassin says that kind of support has been heartening.
"To me, this is like proof that this isn't just about Palestinians ... it is a humanitarian cause. Everybody has a right to say no to genocide," he said.
The group has pledged not to leave university grounds until their demands are met. They want the university to reveal a complete list of its endowment's investments and divest from assets that "sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation and illegal settlement of Palestine." They also demanded the school cut ties with Israeli academic institutions that operate within the occupied West Bank.
"It's supposed to be the beacon of Canadian academia — U of T should be held accountable for their moral actions," said Yassin.
University says some actions 'contravene' expectations
In a statement Friday afternoon, the university said its preference "continues to be dialogue." But in a message to protesters several hours later, vice-provost Sandy Welsh said it is witnessing actions and behaviours of concern, including blocking the fire safety access route Thursday night and dumping biowaste and other materials in the gardens and grass.
"We also have reports of graffiti and a broken lamp post," said Welsh. "The lack of your ability to enforce crowd control only increases our concerns for future damage."
Yassin said he isn't aware of protesters dumping biowaste or destroying property.
The university says while it respects the rights of students to protest, students must not "interfere with the ability of students, faculty, librarians and staff to learn, teach, research and work on our campuses." If they do, they'll be subject to the law, it said.
The university also said that a significant number of people, many from outside the U of T community, were on the St. George campus for a large rally on Friday. The group says some 120 people slept on the property overnight, with alumni and faculty members dropping in to show support.
Most university buildings will be locked this weekend and will only be accessible through a fob, which is a normal practise, the school added.
The encampments are happening as The International Court of Justice investigates whether Israel has committed acts of genocide in the ongoing war in Gaza, with a ruling expected to take years. Israel has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and accused the court of bias.
Israel's campaign in Gaza was launched after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 men, women and children hostage. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The war has wreaked vast destruction and brought a humanitarian disaster with several thousand Palestinians in northern Gaza facing imminent famine, according to the United Nations.
Pro-Palestinian activists have also set up tents at McGill University in Montreal, the University of Ottawa and the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver.
The student movement began at Columbia University in New York City on April 17. That encampment was forcefully cleared by police at the request of administrators earlier this week. Police began taking down makeshift barricades at the University of California, Los Angeles Thursday after violent clashes between protestors and counter-protestors.
Jewish advocacy group voices concern
In a statement Friday, U of T students with Hillel Ontario, a group that advocates on behalf of Jewish students, said it "watched with concern as tensions on campus rose throughout Thursday."
The group pointed to some protesters chanting, "All the Zionists are racists" and chalk on the ground reading "Go back to Europe."
Miriam Nisone Oliver, the incoming student president of the school's chapter, said she respects people's right to protest and assemble peacefully, but takes issue with the anti-Zionist messaging.
"Seeing a lot of the rhetoric that's been going on saying we don't want Zionists on our campus," Oliver said, feels "explicitly violent."
In a statement, the group said it requested an urgent meeting with the school to get a better understanding of its plans ahead of the weekend. It said harassment and intimidation of Jewish students, faculty or staff shouldn't be tolerated, and is asking universities to "enforce their existing policies and hold violators accountable for their actions."
"We're all beholden to the same code of conduct on campus, and I think it's interesting that one group is allowed to blatantly disregard that code of conduct," said Oliver.
Encampment organizer Erin Mackey said it's important "to point out that anti-Zionism is different than antisemitism."
"And that the Israeli government does not represent everyone who is Jewish. And there's actually a lot of Jewish students who are here, a lot of Jewish faculty who are supporting this encampment."
Government says universities responsible
Toronto's mayor, the Ontario government, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said universities are the ones responsible for managing encampment protests on their property.
Mayor Olivia Chow said King's College Circle belongs to the university, adding peaceful protest is allowed under the Charter, as long as it's done "without hate."
"It's up to the University of Toronto to work out what their security arrangement is with the police," she said.
Similarly, in a news conference in Hamilton on Friday, Trudeau said universities are places of learning where ideas can be exchanged and debated, but at the same time, everyone must feel safe on campus.
Meanwhile, in an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop said the ministry expects schools to "work with police and campus security to address any incidents of hate and racism, unauthorized encampments and occupations, and all other forms of discrimination at their institutions."
The spokesperson said, "The government has been assured by college and university presidents that they are working with their teams to adopt appropriate measures to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of all students, faculty, and staff, so that students can continue to learn and attend graduation without interruption."
With files from The Canadian Press, Meagan Fitzpatrick and Dale Manucdoc