As people walked by the protester encampment at the University of Victoria or sat in a lounge chair nearby, faculty members gathered on Friday (May 17) to say the situation on campus is markedly different than whatB次元官网网址檚 being communicated.

Protesters have been camped on the quad since May 1 and their several demands include UVic divesting from companies that are contributing to B次元官网网址渢he genocide of Palestinian people.B次元官网网址�

UVic president Kevin Hall has released a series of statements, with recent ones directly linking protesters to B次元官网网址渃hallengesB次元官网网址� on campus and saying the encampmentB次元官网网址檚 presence has enabled those issues.

Hall claimed protesters yelled at high school kids who were touring campus, encampment members vandalized and spray painted UVic property and that the demonstrators rode bikes inside the library.

Both faculty and encampment members took issue with how the president directed blame for those incidents, with the former saying it could hinder meaningful dialogue and the latter saying theyB次元官网网址檙e being scapegoated.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been a witness to this peaceful, amazing space thatB次元官网网址檚 been created for dialogue,B次元官网网址� said ann-elise lewallen, a professor of Pacific and Asian studies. B次元官网网址淲e have not seen any kind of behaviour that would match these claims.B次元官网网址�

The faculty group on Friday said theyB次元官网网址檙e around the encampment almost 24/7 and theyB次元官网网址檙e concerned the information coming the university B次元官网网址渄oes not align with what most of us have seen first hand at the encampment.B次元官网网址�

The UVic employees said the presidentB次元官网网址檚 campus descriptions differ from the quad where people are playing Frisbee or soccer, while protesters noted that kids involved in summer camps have continued to play in the grass right beside them.

B次元官网网址淭hat distance between what weB次元官网网址檝e seen and what weB次元官网网址檝e been told is not conducive to good-faith negotiation,B次元官网网址� a faculty member said.

The instructors, who are among 75 faculty members who signed a letter calling on Hall to meet directly with demonstrators, said theyB次元官网网址檇 be B次元官网网址渆xtremely surprisedB次元官网网址� if someone was biking in the library or engaging in the other cases outlined in the statements.

A graduate student whoB次元官网网址檚 part of the encampment said the group hasnB次元官网网址檛 spray painted anything or biked in the library. UVic could show them a video of the alleged incidents or evidence of them inside the library, but it hasnB次元官网网址檛, said the protester, who didnB次元官网网址檛 want their name used out of fear of retaliation.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 also no reason that we would do that, weB次元官网网址檙e not here to goof around and have fun, weB次元官网网址檙e not here on a camping trip, we are here in solidarity and we are here in devotion. So to frame us as doing that is a very clear attempt to delegitimize what weB次元官网网址檙e doing here and to build a case to criminalize what weB次元官网网址檙e doing,B次元官网网址� the student said in an interview on Friday.

Faculty members expressed concern over Hall saying the encampment has asked the public to join them. The instructors pointed to how protesters discouraged that when flyers unaffiliated with the encampment were distributed around town.

B次元官网网址淚t is incredibly irresponsible for encampment organizers to encourage other members of the community who are not affiliated with the university to occupy parts of our campus,B次元官网网址� the UVic president said on May 15, linking the alleged invites to a man with a knife who was arrested on campus.

The student protester said the encampment had nothing to do with the person who was arrested and noted that was reflected in Saanich policeB次元官网网址檚 statement on the incident. Students arenB次元官网网址檛 responsible for people assaulting and threatening them, faculty members said.

B次元官网网址淲e really are not a threat to the campus community, what we are is a threat to their business as usual and I think thatB次元官网网址檚 actually what (the university) is reacting to,B次元官网网址� the protester said. B次元官网网址淲e hope that they engage with us in good faith and stop lying about what weB次元官网网址檙e doing.B次元官网网址�

HallB次元官网网址檚 statements have also said the university is open to dialogue, but said protesters have refused. The student said their group attended one formal meeting with two UVic officials, including one from the athletics department, who said they were unable to discuss the demands.

Faculty member Audrey Yap said students are standing up B次元官网网址渇or the Palestinian people who are being killed in massive numbers and at the end of the day, (students) want that to stop.B次元官网网址�

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