Waterloo Uni takes students to court to remove encampment
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The university states on its website that it was suing seven defendants and additional individuals identified only as John and Jane Doe alongside unknown parties for $1.5 million in damages.
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An image of the University of Waterloo in Canada, undated (University of Waterloo)
In an attempt to remove an encampment that has been set on campus since May 13, the University of Waterloo in Canada has initiated legal action against the Occupy UWaterloo movement.
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.
“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.”
According to Goel, lawyers representing the school requested an interlocutory injunction on Tuesday to evict the encampment.
“We have said repeatedly, and as is expressed in the report from the Task Force on Freedom of Expression, the right to protest does not mean people have the right to endlessly occupy a shared university space,” he said, continuing, “The behaviour of encampment members has crossed the line to intimidation and harassment making their ongoing presence untenable.”
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The university said on its website that it was suing seven defendants and additional individuals identified only as John and Jane Doe alongside unknown parties for $1.5 million in damages.
In addition, they requested a required order to remove the defendants from the property and return the area to its pre-May 12 condition.
Al Mayadeen English correspondent in Canada went down to the pro-Palestine encampment at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, to ask about the significance of the encampment and the morale of the protesters there. pic.twitter.com/8MX0EXrOm3
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 2, 2024
The statement claimed the encampment “have expanded their activities related to the illegal occupation within the Encampment to the broader University Campus, including going so far as to disrupt Needles Hall and blocking access to facilities, confining University staff and several members of its Board of Governors within parts of the building, and making it impossible for them to continue their regular activities.”
This comes after the Occupy UWaterloo movement announced last week that it disrupted a board of governors meeting at the university.
“While the University respects the right of all its community members to engage in free expression and peaceful assembly, these rights are not unlimited,” its statement said, adding, “The University has the lawful right to access and make use of its own property.”
Pro-Palestine encampments take over the world in support of Gaza against the ongoing Israeli genocide which has killed over 34,600 Palestinians since October 7. pic.twitter.com/bpdaT9kl4B
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 3, 2024
In response, the university claimed in an attempt to justify itself, “On an almost daily basis, the University communicated with members of the Encampment about safety checks, the well-being of the members of the Encampment, and more generally to establish productive dialogue."
“But members of the Encampment refused to engage constructively in any of the University’s requests for dialogue, often insisting on their terms, and refusing to communicate unless their specific demands were met.”
