The University of Victoria in British Columbia says it has begun the process of removing the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, telling protesters they are trespassing on school property.
The school says in its latest encampment update that it has B次元官网网址渢aken a calm, measured and reasoned approachB次元官网网址� to the protest since it was set up on May 1, but administrators B次元官网网址渟ee no further prospect for a successful dialogue.B次元官网网址�
On its social media page, protesters naming themselves B次元官网网址淧eopleB次元官网网址檚 Park UVICB次元官网网址� confirm the school has issued them a trespass notice, adding the administration has told them to B次元官网网址渧acate by 8 a.m. Monday.B次元官网网址�
The group did not specify their plans while asking the public to B次元官网网址渟tay tuned for updates from camp and plans going forward.B次元官网网址�
Protesters at the university have been demanding the school cut financial and academic ties with Israeli entities due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and the latest development comes about a week after Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C. launched legal action against protesters there for allegedly ignoring a deadline to leave their camp.
Vancouver Island University says it had issued its trespass notice to protesters on July 11.
University of Victoria says in its update that the school had been working toward B次元官网网址渁 peaceful conclusion of the encampmentB次元官网网址� since June through facilitated discussions with protesters.
B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, we have not successfully achieved agreement on the process and timeline for decampment,B次元官网网址� the school update says.B次元官网网址疊次元官网网址漈he university was disappointed to learn of this impasse through social media posts from PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Park UVic.B次元官网网址�
The protest group says on its social media page that protesters B次元官网网址渉ave negotiated in good faithB次元官网网址� but described the schoolB次元官网网址檚 last proposed resolution as having B次元官网网址渘o concrete commitmentsB次元官网网址� and containing B次元官网网址渋neffective policyB次元官网网址� that fails to address what they are calling a genocide in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The group also reposted a statement from July 19, saying it is B次元官网网址渦nfortunately no surprise to once again witness our administration betraying the integrity of this process and emphasizing that these negotiations have been and always will be on their terms.B次元官网网址�
A camp at the University of British Columbia was vacated by protesters voluntarily on July 7.
The recent developments come after an Ontario court granted the University of Toronto an injunction on July 2 that ordered protesters there to dismantle their encampment on the grounds that it is a violation of the schoolB次元官网网址檚 property rights.
Legal experts have said the decision sets a powerful precedent and creates a road map for other schools to follow in seeking legal recourse in removing protest encampments on campus.
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The Canadian Press
