University says encampment goes against policy, shuts buildings early
Photo by Sydney Lobe
On May 1, students, faculty, and alumni of UVic erected a Palestine solidarity encampment called the “People’s Park” on the quad. As of Thursday, the encampment consists of about fifteen tents enclosed by wooden palettes.
The People’s Park demands, in a press release from Wednesday morning, that UVic divest from three companies, all of which have associations with or ties to Israel. In the same release, the People’s Park says that their camp will remain, day and night, until their demands are met.
Many such protests have cropped up across North America in response to a likely impending ground offensive in Rafah, a city in Gaza’s southern strip, where more than one million Palestinian people are currently sheltering.
Since Tuesday, students have begun protesting at universities across the United States and Canada. Most recently, student protesters at McGill made national headlines when the Quebec court rejected a request for an injunction against pro-Palestine protesters.
Now, an encampment has settled on UVic’s quad — and doesn’t plan on leaving.
Photo by Sydney Lobe
Photo by Sydney Lobe
One protester at the encampment, who will be referred to simply as E, cites ongoing unproductive efforts from students to engage with UVic about divestment as reason for camping. Students’ attempts to have “civil conversations” with the university have not worked, says E, and other protests have been ignored.
“UVic can say what they want, but they’re not listening to us. So we just got a little louder,” E says.
H, another protester at UVic’s encampment, says that the community at the encampment has been supportive and peaceful. They are planning music, art builds, and education and skill-building workshops for the coming days. The protesters also created a list of guidelines for themselves.
Photo by Sydney Lobe
UVic has issued two statements in response to the encampment so far, one on May 1 and one on May 2, which both acknowledge the group’s right to a peaceful protest. The May 2 statement clarifies that university policy prohibits overnight camping on campus. It is unclear at this time whether UVic has plans to remove the encampment.
The statement from the university also declares that campus security is alert to the encampment, and is liaising with the Saanich and Oak Bay Police Departments.
In an emailed statement to the Martlet, Jason Hallman, the Saanich Police Department’s communications advisor, says that “Saanich Police have a presence on campus at the request of the University of Victoria. We are liaising with staff regarding the encampment and will continue to do so as needed.”
To “minimize disruptions,” the University of Victoria will also be closing the doors of its buildings at 5:00 p.m., and they will remain closed until 7:00 a.m. Many buildings on campus, like the McPherson Library, are open until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. during regular hours of operation.
Campus Security declined to comment on their involvement with the encampment and/or plans for interacting with the protest should it escalate.
Premier Eby stated, regarding university protests for Palestine across B.C., that he is confident universities can balance safety with support for the free exchange of ideas. He added that campuses should foster a safe space for all students.
It is impossible to know how the encampment will fare over the next days, weeks, or months; and it is unclear whether or not encampment protesters’ demands for divestment will be acknowledged by UVic in the future, but one thing is certain — now, their cause is impossible to ignore.
