Close X
Friday, October 11, 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

Canadians worry about quality of health care, have little faith it will improve: poll

Canadians worry about quality of health care, have little faith it will improve: poll
The poll by Leger comes nearly a year after the federal government offered a $196-billion health accord to the provinces to increase health funding and address a growing shortage of health-care workers. Doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals have warned for years about a dangerous lack of health workers, leading to understaffed emergency rooms and a lack of primary care that is felt across the entire health system. 

Canadians worry about quality of health care, have little faith it will improve: poll

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says a second Trump presidency would be trouble for Canada

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says a second Trump presidency would be trouble for Canada
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is an "egomaniac" operating in his own world, argues federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh, saying if he makes it back to the White House it could spell trouble for Canada. During the NDP's caucus retreat in Edmonton, Singh said Trump operates in his own league. He likened him to an egomaniac who is seeking vengeance on his political enemies.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says a second Trump presidency would be trouble for Canada

Six dead in N.W.T. plane crash, one survivor taken to hospital

Six dead in N.W.T. plane crash, one survivor taken to hospital
Six people died in a plane crash near the town of Fort Smith, while a lone survivor was taken to hospital, the Northwest Territories coroner's office said Wednesday. Four passengers and two crew members from Northwestern Air Lease were killed on the Tuesday morning flight headed to the Diavik Diamond Mine, some 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, the coroner's office said in a written statement.

Six dead in N.W.T. plane crash, one survivor taken to hospital

Man dies in Chilliwack hit and run

Man dies in Chilliwack hit and run
Mounties in Chilliwack say a man is dead after a hit-and-run collision last week. Chilliwack R-C-M-P says officers found an unresponsive male lying on the side of the road on January 18th after receiving a report. 

Man dies in Chilliwack hit and run

One dead in suspected targeted shooting in Metro Vancouver: RCMP

One dead in suspected targeted shooting in Metro Vancouver: RCMP
One man is dead after what police believe was a targeted shooting overnight in Metro Vancouver. Police say officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 5500 block of Kingsway in Burnaby on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.

One dead in suspected targeted shooting in Metro Vancouver: RCMP

Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 5%, signals shift toward rate cut talks

Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 5%, signals shift toward rate cut talks
The Bank of Canada is turning its attention to when it may be able to start cutting interest rates, governor Tiff Macklem said Wednesday as he announced the central bank's decision to hold its key rate at five per cent. The Bank of Canada’s decision to maintain its key rate comes as no surprise. Weaker economic growth along with slowing inflation has allowed the central bank to hold its policy rate steady and monitor how the economy is responding to higher rates.    

Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 5%, signals shift toward rate cut talks