Protestors and students remove tents and belongings from the pro-Palestinian encampment at University of Toronto on July 3, 2024, after the university was granted a court injunction to remove the protestors by 6 p.m., 63 days after they first occupied the space.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
With hours to go before a deadline for student protesters to clear out a tent encampment at the heart of the University of Toronto campus, demonstrators debated whether they would leave voluntarily or continue to occupy the space.
A few protesters folded up blue tarps, some carried out trash, and there were signs some tents were coming down in the wake of a judge’s decision Tuesday siding with U of T administrators and granting an injunction that would allow the school to clear the site. The judge’s ruling also authorized police to arrest and remove anyone believed to be contravening the order after 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Sara Rasikh, a graduate student and encampment organizer, said a decision has not yet been made about whether or not demonstrators will continue to occupy the circle, saying the conversation is ongoing.
“We would like for everything to ideally be consensus based,” she said. “If we’re not able to reach consensus, then whatever the majority decides, we have all aligned ourselves on the fact that people will abide by it and exit or not exit based on what the majority decides.”
A protester removes a sign from the fencing around the pro-Palestinian encampment July 3.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
In the meantime, she said students were taking their valuables off site, including items they planned to donate to those living in encampments for the unhoused.
“We know that the police is violent and we want to make sure that these items are not harmed or ruined by the police when they do intend to raid us,” she said Wednesday morning.
The U of T encampment began on May 2, when protesters broke through a fence the university had erected around the green space at the heart of King’s College Circle. It was part of a wave of pro-Palestinian encampments that swept across university campuses in the U.S. and other parts of Canada in late April.
On Tuesday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Markus Koehnen ruled the campus is private property. The university had argued the protesters are trespassing and that they’ve infringed on the rights of others to use Front Campus. The protesters countered that they have a right to protest and that a university campus should not be viewed simply as private property but as a space where debate can occur.
After the ruling, protesters said they were unmoved by the possibility of police action.
Sima Atri, lawyer with the community Justice collective, said she is honoured to be part of a movement that has consistently shown up despite threats by the university.
“This isn’t going to end despite a court ruling on one specific tactic, and that movements can be creative.”
Protesters embrace as they remove belongings from the pro-Palestinian encampment at University of Toronto on July 3, 2024, after the university was granted a court injunction to remove the protestors by 6 p.m.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
There were about 50 tents in the U of T camp initially, but the number of protesters grew over several weeks to more than 175 tents by late May.
The protesters made three demands: that the university disclose where its money is invested; that it divest from weapons manufacturers connected to the Israeli military and that sustain what they describe as Israeli apartheid; and that it break ties with Israeli universities that operate in the occupied territories. The university administration engaged in several negotiations with encampment representatives but they were unable to reach a resolution.
The court’s decision will be closely watched at other universities, including McGill University and the University of British Columbia, where encampments are still in place.
Erin Mackey, a recent graduate of the university, said Tuesday students within the encampment remain steadfast in heir demands.
“Fundamentally, I am appalled that we are at this point, that instead of meeting our demands, instead of listening to their own students, instead of meeting with us again, they’re now calling the police that we know are violent.”
Ms. Mackey said in the last 61 days, U of T president Meric Gertler has not once met any of the students who are part of the encampment.
Dr. Gertler said in a note to campus Tuesday that a letter has been sent to Toronto police requesting their assistance if the encampment is not cleared by the deadline.
“Anyone who chooses to remain in the encampment after the deadline is subject to consequences under university policy and the law,” Dr. Gertler wrote.
He added that the university welcomes protest and vigorous debate.
Pro-Palestinian protesters began to dismantle tents and remove supplies the day after a judge decided they must vacate the space at Kings College Circle at the University of Toronto campus by 6 p.m. on July 3.
The Canadian Press
Fatima Raza
Joe Friesen