TORONTO (CP) – The University of Toronto said Monday it’s taking legal action in an effort to clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters from its downtown campus.
A statement posted Monday morning from university president Meric Gertler said the school is seeking an injunction and asking the court for an expedited case conference.
“In addition to pursuing this legal avenue to return King’s College Circle to the university community, we continue to engage in discussions with students representing those in the encampment,” the statement said.
“We held a long and productive meeting yesterday and are meeting again today. We remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement and bring the unauthorized encampment to an end.”
University officials issued a trespass notice on Friday ordering demonstrators to remove the encampment by 8 a.m. Monday, and on Sunday officials indicated they would seek an injunction in court if protesters didn’t comply.
The protesters, who set up tents on campus weeks ago, remained at the site Monday morning and were joined by faculty and labour groups for a rally outside the nearby Convocation Hall.
Demonstrators held up flags and huddled under umbrellas as a drizzle turned to heavier rain during the rally.
Sara Rasikh, one of the spokespeople for the demonstration, told the crowd that protesters tried for months to get the university to listen to their demands, but only received acknowledgment after setting up the encampment.
“The reason for this is because the people’s strength is threatening to them. It is threatening to the legitimacy of this institution,” Rasikh said Monday.
“U of T continues to propose committees but we want commitments. We wants divestment. We want disclosure. And we want it now.”
On Sunday, Rasikh said the group has its own team of lawyers prepared to respond to an application for an injunction.
“The fact that (university administrators) want the police to come in and clear us out after they told us that they want to end things peacefully, it just doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“It does not change the fact that we will continue to remain steadfast in our demands.”
Demonstrators and university administrators met Sunday afternoon, during which protesters presented what they described as a counter-offer calling on the school to disclose public investments in companies profiting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
They’re also asking the school to establish and let them be part of a joint working group examining private investments, as well as cut ties with two specific Israeli academic institutions.
Meanwhile, a judge has granted Université du Québec à Montréal a partial injunction against pro-Palestinian protesters who set up an encampment on its downtown campus earlier this month.
Superior Court Justice Louis J. Gouin ruled Monday that safety measures need to be put in place at the encampment, and that doing so won’t infringe on the encampment members’ right to protest.
“It’s essential that appropriate security measures be put in place immediately in order to prevent an unfortunate event from happening and for UQAM to suffer serious or irreparable harm,” Gouin wrote.
“In the present circumstances, it is definitely preferable to prevent rather than to heal.”
Gouin said he was prohibiting protesters from setting up tents and other material within two metres of campus buildings, instead of the three metres UQAM had requested. The protesters had asked that the distance be set at one metre.
Protesters have also been ordered to ensure doors, windows and walls are clear of obstructions; to remove cardboard blocking security cameras; and to allow representatives from the school and fire department to visit the camp to make sure it’s safe.
Protesters had said the security corridor requested by the school would force them to dismantle their camp, an argument that Gouin rejected. He said that while protesters might have to reduce the size of the encampment or rearrange it, the rules he was imposing were in everyone’s best interest.