Close X
Thursday, October 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Pro-Palestinian protesters dismantle UBC camp

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Jul, 2024 05:10 PM
  • Pro-Palestinian protesters dismantle UBC camp

A pro-Palestinian protest camp that had occupied a sports field at the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus for more than two months has been dismantled by the demonstrators.

Dozens of tents had been removed by Monday, although barricades and fencing around the site remain in place.

A statement from UBC says "protesters decamped from MacInnes Field" adjacent to the school's transit loop and student union building on Sunday, but did not elaborate. 

A spokeswoman for the protest camp confirmed in a text message that it had closed.

A UBC security guard at MacInnes Field who declined to be named said the protesters vacated the site without giving any notice on Sunday evening.

Guards were patrolling the area Monday to prevent unauthorized people from entering the field while they waited for cleanup crews to arrive.

On Friday, more than 35 tents and a small handful of people were visible at the site that had been occupied since late April by protesters demanding that UBC end any financial or academic ties with Israeli companies or institutions.

A spokeswoman for Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C., said it had no update on a protest camp there. The University of Victoria did not respond to requests for updates on an encampment at its campus.

The low-key closure of the UBC camp came after another protest site at the University of Toronto was vacated last week. That came after a judge ruled in favour of an injunction sought by the school to clear the camp.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Markus Koehnen ruled the encampment took away the school’s ability to control what happened on its properties. The result, Koehnen said, amounted to irreparable harm.

"In our society, we have decided that the owner of property generally gets to decide what happens on the property," Koehnen’s decision said.

University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist had said the Ontario decision could act as a road map for other schools looking to remove protest camps. He said its reliance on property law meant schools could issue trespass notices to protesters before starting the legal process of clearing them out.

Protesters at several Canadian schools including UBC issued a joint statement on social media last week calling the Ontario decision "shameful" for prioritizing property ownership over students' rights.

The statement said protesters would "continue to act on our campuses and apply pressure to our universities through every possible avenue."

The UBC camp once included about 75 tents and was bustling with music and activity, but at one point on Friday only three people could be seen inside the fenced zone.

Vancouver Island University had said in a statement last week after the Ontario court decision that it was "exploring similar legal avenues taken by other institutions."

The school said about 25 protesters occupied a school building in late June and disrupted an exam, while another building was vandalized over the Canada Day long weekend.

Vancouver Island University said its settlement proposal to the protesters had been rejected, and the escalation of disruptions on campus shows "encampment participants are unwilling to engage in good-faith dialogue."

MORE National ARTICLES

Fire that gutted Metro Vancouver school caused by humans, police say

Fire that gutted Metro Vancouver school caused by humans, police say
Police say they believe a fire last October that destroyed an elementary school in Port Coquitlam, B.C., was human caused. Coquitlam RCMP say the investigators are now asking those responsible or people who may know who is responsible to come forward and contact police.

Fire that gutted Metro Vancouver school caused by humans, police say

Surrey RCMP at scene of collision with natural gas leak

Surrey RCMP at scene of collision with natural gas leak
Surrey RCMP is at the scene of a motor vehicle collision in the area of 66th Avenue and 128 Street, where one vehicle has hit a natural gas meter.  Fortis BC has been advised, and the immediate area is being evacuated as a precaution until crews can arrive to make repairs. 

Surrey RCMP at scene of collision with natural gas leak

Overdose toll hit 198 in January, down 10 percent but over 6 deaths a day

Overdose toll hit 198 in January, down 10 percent but over 6 deaths a day
The overdose death toll in January reached 198 people, down about 10 per cent from the same month last year, but still more than six deaths a day.  The B-C Coroners Service says the majority of those who died were male and the highest death rate was in north and central Vancouver Island and the northern Interior. 

Overdose toll hit 198 in January, down 10 percent but over 6 deaths a day

4 in hospital after 2 vehicle crash in Kelowna

4 in hospital after 2 vehicle crash in Kelowna
Four people are in hospital after a two-vehicle crash in Kelowna. R-C-M-P say it happened last night on Highway 33 when Toyota collided with a Dodge.  The Mounties say all four were taken to hospital in critical condition.

4 in hospital after 2 vehicle crash in Kelowna

Bank card scam in Burnaby

Bank card scam in Burnaby
Mounties are warning of the latest bank card scam that has taken in a few people in Burnaby. Police say they've had five reports of people getting calls from someone saying their bank or credit card had been compromised.   

Bank card scam in Burnaby

Female dead in Sooke

Female dead in Sooke
Police in Sooke say a female has died after being struck by a vehicle. R-C-M-P say the incident happened at about 5:30 this morning. Police say emergency responders attempted to save the woman, but she didn't survive.

Female dead in Sooke