Judge orders students to remove pro-Palestine encampment at U of T
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Anybody who refuses to leave the school may be arrested by Toronto police.
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An image of the University of Toronto in Canada, undated (Universite Paris Cite)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were given a deadline by a judge in Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday by 6:00 pm, to dismantle their solidarity tents and vacate the University of Toronto (U of T) campus.
The judge instructed that after the deadline, anybody who refuses to leave the school may be arrested by Toronto police, as the University took to court to have the encampment of about 200 tents and protesters removed. Meanwhile, the court gave the university permission to resort to police to clear the encampment.
The protesters began occupying an area on campus known as King’s College Circle in downtown Toronto on May 2.
🚨 LIBERATED!! @UofT students have SUCCESSFULLY set up their ENCAMPMENT of King's College Circle in SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE, despite attempts by police to disrupt our non-violent protest.
— UofT Occupy for Palestine (@occupyuoft) May 2, 2024
Welcome to the People's Circle for Palestine. pic.twitter.com/kEe09qtrcp
In a post on X, U of T Occupy for Palestine, the organizers of the encampment, said the court's decision gave the university the “immoral right to unleash police violence” on students, adding, "The university's shameful attempt to use legal force to brutalize its own students — for the crime of protesting genocide— will go down in history as a disgraceful chapter for this institution."
BREAKING:
— UofT Occupy for Palestine (@occupyuoft) July 2, 2024
Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice rules in favour of UofT. Students protesting a genocide must end camp by 6 pm tomorrow or face police violence.
The UofT administration has been granted the
immoral license to unleash police violence
against its own community. 🧵
CBC News reported that university attorneys contended in court that the demonstration violated school regulations, instilled fear of violence among campus community members, and impeded others' right to free expression.
According to the court, the demonstrators caused "irreparable harm" by barring others from utilizing the campus for 50 days.
“In my view, the harm to the university is greater if the injunction is not granted than is the harm to the respondents if the injunction is granted,” the judge claimed.
Last week, the University of Waterloo in Canada initiated legal action against the Occupy UWaterloo movement in an attempt to remove an encampment that has been set on campus since May 13.
A statement was posted to the university’s website, with its President Vivek Goel saying that the institution issued a trespass notice to the students.
Read next: Canadian students hunger-strike, urge McGill to divest from 'Israel'
“The Trespass Notice required the encampment to leave immediately or face consequences in accordance with the Trespass to Property Act,” he said, adding, “Unfortunately, the encampment remains in place in violation of Waterloo policies, and the law.”
