U of T raises concern about actions in Pro-Palestinian encampment

The University of Toronto says members of a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus are engaging in actions that are putting protestersat risk of being charged with trespass and destruction of property.

The university said in an update on Friday thatit has been communicating witha student representative ofthe encampmentin person and inwriting 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 upat Canadian university campuses in recent days went up early Thursday morning after students said they breached the fence.

On Thursday, the university saidthe tents, banners and flags werea safety concernand 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 hadreceived several questions and reports of "concerning language" being used in signs and chants.

Mohammad Yassin, a protest organizer with U of TOccupy for Palestine, said earlier Friday thoseconcerns 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 scheduleda stress relief workshop, prayers, a Shabbat dinner andmovie screeningsFriday.

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 toreveal 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, includingblocking thefire safety access route Thursday night anddumping 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'taware of protesters dumpingbiowasteor 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 besubject to the law, it said.

WATCH | Encampment protest enters 2nd day after U of T allowsstudents to remain:

Pro-Palestinian encampment at U of T enters second day

5 months ago

Duration 5:33

The Pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Torontos downtown campus entered its second day Friday after the school allowed students to remain overnight. Demonstrators were joined by about 1,000 people during a rally Thursday evening. CBCs Ali Chiasson has the latest.

The university also said thata 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 disasterwith 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 policeat the request of administrators earlier this week. Police began taking down makeshift barricades at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles Thursday afterviolent 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."

WATCH |Jewish students must be able to participate on campus, advocate says:

Hillel Ontario's CEO reacts to U of T encampment

5 months ago

Duration 0:42

Hillel Ontario's CEO Seth Goren told reporters that the University of Toronto is responsible for ensuring Jewish students can participate fully in student life, after a pro-Palestine encampment protest began at the centre of the universitys downtown campus on Thursday.

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 saidit 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," saidOliver.

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."

Governmentsays universities responsible

Toronto's mayor, the Ontario government, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said universities are the ones responsible for managingencampment 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 forOntario Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop said the ministryexpects 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."