A university on Vancouver Island is taking legal action in a bid to end a protest camp in support of Gaza.
Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo said in a Monday statement that it was “regrettably” seeking an injunction against the pro-Palestinian demonstrators after they disregarded a trespass notice issued last week.
“This decision was not made lightly, but it has become necessary to ensure the university can operate effectively and that our campus remains a safe and welcoming place for all,” the university said in a statement on its website.
The move comes weeks after the University of Toronto successfully obtained an injunction to remove a similar protest camp from its campus.
VIU had given protesters a July 15 deadline to break up the encampment, alleging they had violated campus policies by erecting temporary structures and camping overnight.
It also alleged they had vandalized university property, disrupted an exam and occupied several buildings.
In a statement posted on their Instagram account, the protesters said they had no plans to back down from their demands to the university.
“VIU has choices here, the easiest and most moral is to listen to the concerns of their students, yet the path of choices they took are to put their students at risk, to villainize them and punish them for using their right to protest,” the post said.
The protesters’ demands include a statement condemning genocide, disclosure of all university investments, an investigation into allegations the Muslim Women’s Club was targeted, a safety plan for Muslim and students from Palestinian territories and shutting down the campus Starbucks.
They’re also calling on the university to follow the example of the University of Windsor, which reached a deal earlier this month with students to end a pro-Palestinian encampment on their campus.
The protesters urged supporters to phone various university numbers, including those for the president’s office, to complain about “the lack of care and respect” that they say an injunction or police action would show.
The university alleges the protesters have directed supporters to call campus security numbers meant to be used in emergencies only.
“We understand that this situation has been challenging and deeply emotional for many,” the university said.
“We remain committed to supporting our students and employees through this difficult time and continue to encourage constructive and respectful dialogue on all issues affecting our community.”
Neither the university nor the protesters would comment on Tuesday.
”Universities have always been a place of free speech—a place where students are able to debate ideas,” Post-Secondary Education Minister Lisa Beare said.
“My expectation has been that post-secondary institutions will work to find balance – ensuring that ideas can be peacefully and respectfully debated without compromising the safety of students, staff, and faculty.”
University of Ottawa Law Professor Micheal Geist said VIU likely has a strong case, given the University of Toronto’s success.
“The University of Toronto brought an action in Ontario arguing that free speech aside, this was fundamentally trespass, people simply don’t have the right to go onto someone else’s property and stay for as long as they want,” he said.
“That encampment is going to come down. Whether it comes down voluntarily — based on the fact that from a legal perspective, there’s not a great case to be made — or there is a need to escalate through the courts, it’s going to happen.”
The camp is among a number of such protest sites at universities in Canada and the United States.
A camp at the University of B.C. in Vancouver was vacated by protesters voluntarily on July 7.
The protesters against the Israel-Hamas comflict in Gaza have been demanding that universities cut financial and academic ties with Israeli firms and institutions, among other things.
With files from the Canadian Press