Pro-Palestinian protesters gather as encampment reaches 60 days

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Published Jun 27, 2024 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read

Security guards stand by at a uOttawa Encampment for Palestine Press Conference outside Tabaret Hall in Ottawa Thursday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Organizers of a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of the University of Ottawa say there has been little movement in their talks with university administration and they fear the university is “thinking of preparing to serve” trespassing notices.

The protesters have been demanding that the university divest itself of financial involvement with Israel.

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At a press conference Thursday, organizers said they were concerned that the university would bring police to dismantle the encampment, which has been on campus since late April.

Jesse Robichaud, a spokesperson for the University of Ottawa, said in an email that the university was “not confirming any speculation.”

The press conference, which was held in front of the university’s Tabaret Hall and included speeches from students, alumni and faculty, began shortly after 11 a.m. Community members gathered behind a table where speakers sat, many holding signs and wearing keffiyehs.

UOttawa Encampment for Palestine Press Conference was held just outside Tabaret Hall in Ottawa Thursday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

A large sign listed the group’s five key demands, which include the full disclosure of all direct and indirect investments made by the university and the divestment from corporations and institutions associated with Israel and its army.

The protesters began a sit-in on the lawn on April 29, with tents set up on the site the next day. Negotiations with the university about the group’s demands began in May.

As reported by the Associated Press, the death toll in Gaza has risen to more than 37,000 people since Oct. 7, when Israel launched an offensive after a Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. Nearly all of the population of Gaza has been displaced, and the UN calls the situation a humanitarian crisis.

Sumayya Kheireddine, president of INSAF, a pro-Palestinian student group, said the university has had a “dismissive attitude” and is “hiding behind arguments of neutrality and academic freedom.”

“We will continue to remain firm until our demands are met, until the university chooses to stand on the right side of history,” Kheireddine said at the Thursday event.

An Instagram post shared by the organization on Wednesday said the university has provided three offers since talks began, but have been unfair and “disappointing” as they haven’t met their demands.

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The university’s last update on the situation was posted on June 5 and stated that several meetings had occurred, with “serious proposals” put forward.

“Our proposals were rejected by the organizers,” Interim Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs Jacques Beauvais said in the statement, adding that the university’s priority remained for all community members to feel safe on campus. “We are disappointed with this outcome and remain intent on working toward a resolution to the situation.”

J H Tabaret statue covered in paint in front of Tabaret Hall. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Robichaud said Thursday that the university had engaged in “constructive dialogue” with organizers and has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining “responsible investment practices.”

“The University remains intent on working toward a peaceful resolution to the situation even though the discussions have not yet achieved that objective,” Robichaud said, adding that uOttawa continues to reiterate values of academic freedom and freedom of expression.

He said the encampment was not authorized by the university.

UOttawa Encampment for Palestine Press Conference was held just outside Tabaret Hall in Ottawa Thursday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Protests have taken place at other Canadian universities, with encampments at the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and York University being dismantled by police. Canadian encampments followed protests across the United States, including at Columbia University.

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Encampments at the Ontario Tech University in Oshawa and the Université du Québec à Montréal have been dismantled following resolutions between protesters and the institutions.

Kheireddine said students had held their ground and sought dialogue with the university’s administration for two months but faced “empty deals designed to stall and disperse” them.

“Over a week has passed without any response from the university until this morning, where they continued to show their unwillingness to progress,” Kheireddine said, adding that the group made its last counter-proposal to the university on June 17.

Kheireddine said the group has also received word from security that the university is considering issuing trespassing notices and deploying police forces against students. She said notices have not been issued yet but are apparently “in the works.”

A statement from the Ottawa Police Service said Tabaret Lawn is private property and that police are “not engaged on the campus at this time.”

“We continue to liaise with uOttawa Protection Services,” the statement read. “We are also in communication with other post-secondary institutions.”

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Justin Piche, Professor, Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Justin Piché, a criminology professor at uOttawa and a member of Faculty 4 Palestine, said the university hasn’t negotiated in good faith and had threatened “serious consequences” for those involved in the action.

“The students, staff, faculty and allies here don’t need a police siege of the kind we’ve seen at Columbia or elsewhere that will be remembered as wrong if it’s ever ordered, we need action,” Piché said.

Roger Chapman, director of By-law and Regulatory Services for the City of Ottawa said that between October and January, a total of 18 charges were issued during pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the city, with authorities continuing to monitor “all types of protests.” He said charges have “not been deemed necessary” in recent months.

With files from Postmedia

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