Pro-Palestinian supporters face-off with police near an encampment at the University of Calgary on May 9, 2024.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
A pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Calgary ended late Thursday night after police in riot gear surrounded the site, dismantled fencing and ordered demonstrators to leave or face arrest.
Video posted on social media showed officers tearing down makeshift fencing and tents prior to protesters leaving peacefully.
Police say there were 150 protesters at the peak of the encampment in the early evening. It’s not believed there were any arrests or injuries.
The site was effectively empty by 11 p.m. with police saying they were staying on scene to deal with a small group of stragglers.
The encampment began around 6:30 Thursday morning, with tents being set up. The numbers of demonstrators grew throughout the day.
The protesters, led by a group called the Calgary Student Movement, said they were objecting to the university’s ties with Israeli companies and institutions.
It was one of several protests on academic campuses in Canada and the United States in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
A statement by the university also advised demonstrators that it respects free speech but that the campus has the right to reasonably regulate when and how it takes place.
The university noted that erecting temporary structures requires prior approval from the university and that such protests cannot remain overnight.
“Members of the campus community are free to protest but they are not free to camp,” the university said in a statement.