TORONTO — An encampment erected by pro-Palestinian student protesters at the University of Toronto's downtown campus is still standing.
The university has said the tents, banners and flags that cropped up after students breached a fence installed around an area on campus known as King's College Circle early Thursday morning are a safety concern.
"Engaging in activities that contravene law or policies – such as remaining on grounds or in buildings after notice to leave, or erecting structures or barriers in outdoor spaces – can have potential consequences," U of T warned in a statement on Thursday.
The university had told protesters they needed to vacate the encampment by 10 p.m. Thursday, however, it went on to say that if protesters' activities remained peaceful, it didn't intend to remove them.
Erin Mackey, one of the protest organizers, said Thursday demonstrators were joining students at other universities in Canada and the United States in setting up encampments in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to call on their schools to disclose ties with the Israeli government and divest from Israeli companies.
"We are all standing together in solidarity, demanding that our university, that we all attend, that we are all part of it, is no longer complicit in this genocide."
The International Court of Justice is investigating 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.
Mohammad Yassin, a fourth-year student with relatives in Gaza and a refugee camp in Lebanon, said while at the encampment on Thursday that the students, faculty, and members of the public who are participating in the protest plan to stay until their demands are met.
"What we're doing here is basically nothing compared to what the people in Palestine are going through," he said Thursday.
"This is not just some childish thing – we're here just to make our voice heard and we're standing firm and we want our demands to be heard."
Prior to their statement Thursday, University of Toronto leadership provided a separate note to protesters saying while it respects members rights to protest, unauthorized activities like encampments "are considered trespassing."
This encampment is one of many in Canada, as 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.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2024.
The Canadian Press
