Pro-Palestine College Encampments Pop Up Across Canada

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Facts

  • Following protests in the US, students in Canada have set up pro-Palestine encampments across several universities, including McGill University, the University of Toronto (U of T), the University of British Columbia, and the University of Ottawa.1
  • While Montreal's McGill University and Quebec's premier have asked police to remove the camps, police have only said that they're monitoring the situation. U of T said its encampment was 'not disruptive.'2
  • By 4 a.m. Thursday (local time), roughly 150 protesters were on U of T's lawn, with hundreds joining them by noon along with about 50 tents. While the university originally issued a 10 p.m. deadline to vacate, it reversed course so long as the protest remained peaceful.3
  • U of T said it was 'in dialogue' with protestors, who are demanding that the school divest from investments that 'sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation, and illegal settlement of Palestine,' and cut ties with some Israeli academic institutions.1
  • In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement said 'universities are places of learning' and 'expression,' but that's only true 'if people feel safe on campus,' adding that 'Jewish students do not feel safe.'2
  • Protests and encampments have emerged worldwide — including at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, Newcastle University in the UK, Sciences Po university in France;, and Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.4

Sources: 1Reuters.com, 2Guardian, 3Toronto Star and 4CNN.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by CBC. Unlike in the US, the encampments in Canada have been peaceful. That's why some universities have allowed them to remain and police have been hesitant to step in. Furthermore, both Palestinian and Jewish groups on campus are supporting these protests — a testament to their reasonable underpinnings and widespread support.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Nationalpost. These camps aren't being built by innocent, pro-peace students, but rather the same radical anti-Israel groups that instigated pro-Hamas rallies following the Oct. 7 attack. It's no surprise that these antisemitic groups have barred anyone deemed a 'Zionist' from entering the encampment. They praised terror attacks in October and continue to espouse dangerous rhetoric today.