By The Canadian Press

Gaza protesters at University of Victoria clearing encampment after trespass notice

Jul 22, 2024 | 1:38 PM

VICTORIA — The pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the campus of the University of Victoria has been vacated after an almost three-month stay.

The university said in a statement that protesters left the encampment Monday, and work to restore the field where the camp was located has begun.

“We understand that this has been a challenging and deeply divisive time and appreciate the efforts that many are making to respond with empathy and patience,” the statement said.

The university had issued a trespass notice over the weekend, saying administrators saw “no further prospect for a successful dialogue” with the protesters.

The university confirmed earlier Monday in an email that the encampment set up on May 1 was being taken apart by the protesters.

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Protesters had said on social media that the school gave them a deadline of Monday morning to vacate, but they were planning a “trespass breakfast” at that time without detailing the next steps.

The protest group did not respond to requests for comment.

Pictures on social media showed the camp in various stages of disassembly Monday, with perimeter barriers still visible but the tents removed.

Another pro-Palestinian encampment was voluntarily vacated at the University of British Columbia on July 7, while Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo launched legal action against protesters there after issuing a trespass notice on July 11.

A Vancouver Island University spokeswoman said Monday that there has been no update on the situation at the encampment there since July 15, when the school said that protesters have ignored the trespass notice.

The university said at the time that it began court action in the Supreme Court of B.C. for an injunction against the protest camp.

In the update, Vancouver Island University cited a July 2 decision from an Ontario court granting the University of Toronto a similar injunction against a protest camp on property-rights grounds.

Legal experts said at the time of the Ontario court decision that the result provided a road map for other universities in Canada to follow on the removal of protest encampments on campus.

The B.C. camps have been among a number of protest sites at universities in Canada and the United States.

The protesters against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been demanding that universities cut financial and academic ties with Israeli firms and institutions, among other things.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press