Close X
Sunday, October 13, 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

Amanda Todd's mom urges more jail time for tormentor, as Dutch court mulls sentence

Amanda Todd's mom urges more jail time for tormentor, as Dutch court mulls sentence
The mother of B.C. teenager Amanda Todd, who was bullied into suicide by a Dutch national, says she'll be "so angry" if a court in Amsterdam doesn't give him significant extra jail time on the basis of his Canadian conviction last year. Judges at the Amsterdam District Court said earlier today they would rule in two weeks on the conversion of the 13-year sentence for Aydin Coban, who was convicted of the extortion and harassment of Amanda.

Amanda Todd's mom urges more jail time for tormentor, as Dutch court mulls sentence

Joly condemns Hamas rapes of Israeli women after weeks of pressure

Joly condemns Hamas rapes of Israeli women after weeks of pressure
In Israel, women's organizations have been calling on the international community to speak out, and the government has recently criticized foreign governments for not doing so. Yet police in Israel are still investigating what happened two months ago, after officials prioritized identifying bodies instead of preserving evidence, according to The Associated Press.

Joly condemns Hamas rapes of Israeli women after weeks of pressure

Financial intelligence agency levies $1.3 million penalty against CIBC

Financial intelligence agency levies $1.3 million penalty against CIBC
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $1.3-million penalty against CIBC for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures. The penalty is the second the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada has announced this week after RBC's $7.4-million fine was publicized on Tuesday.

Financial intelligence agency levies $1.3 million penalty against CIBC

Cyberactivity targeting elections on rise, says report from Canada's e-spy service

Cyberactivity targeting elections on rise, says report from Canada's e-spy service
A new federal report says cyberthreat activity targeting elections is increasing worldwide, and is now more likely to be seen in Canada's next federal ballot. The report by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security found that in 2022 slightly over one-quarter of all national elections globally had at least one reported cyberincident.

Cyberactivity targeting elections on rise, says report from Canada's e-spy service

Oil and gas emissions cap coming Thursday, targets 2026 start date

Oil and gas emissions cap coming Thursday, targets 2026 start date
The long-promised cap on greenhouse gas emissions for Canada's oil and gas sector will begin as early as 2026 and use a cap-and-trade system that applies by facility, a federal government source said Wednesday. The outline for the policy that the government is set to publish Thursday will show that industry will not be asked to cut emissions as deeply as planned under last year's emissions reduction report, said the source.

Oil and gas emissions cap coming Thursday, targets 2026 start date

Number of Canadians with disabilities doubles in 10 years, hits 8 million: StatCan

Number of Canadians with disabilities doubles in 10 years, hits 8 million: StatCan
The number of Canadians with at least one disability has doubled in 10 years, a reality that should push governments to help reduce barriers to accessibility, says the head of a human rights organization. Statistics Canada data shows that 27 per cent of people 15 and older — about eight million Canadians — reported having at least one disability in 2022, about twice the percentage of people who reported a disability 10 years ago.

Number of Canadians with disabilities doubles in 10 years, hits 8 million: StatCan