Pro-Palestinian protesters ‘prepared to resist’ as U of Manitoba threatens legal action

Posted on July 14, 2024 by Peggy

Pro-Palestinian protesters who have been encamped at the University of Manitoba campus for more than two months say they are ready to fight a potential injunction that could see them removed.

In an email letter sent to organizers, university administrators said demonstrators had until 8 a.m. Monday to peacefully dismantle the encampment on the Quad of the school’s Fort Garry campus or else it would “pursue legal remedies for its removal.”

The letter, which was posted on the school’s website last Tuesday, said the university “provided a detailed response both verbally and in writing” indicating how it will address protesters’ concerns and that it will follow through with its commitments.

“It is now the expectation of UM leadership that you peacefully dismantle the encampment and return the use of the Quad space to the entire UM community,” the letter said. “Your right to peaceful protest does not include the ability to continuously occupy university space that is to be enjoyed by all community members.”

But people with the encampment told CBC News on Sunday the school’s response failed to meet their demands and the school has not been willing to meet with them since it provided them with their proposal at the end of May.

“The university has not offered anything substantive or anything that remotely touches what we are asking for,” said Victoria Canjura, a spokesperson for the Students for Justice in Palestine encampment. “One of the only correspondences was, you know, this letter that detailed their threat of legal action should we not be gone.”

The school’s proposals to the protestors include commitments such as continuing to provide anti-racism training to students and staff, and the public disclosure of its investments by this fall.

But Canjura said a lot of the things the school pledged to do were already in the works and the demonstrator group would’ve liked to see firmer commitments.

She said some of the group’s demands were refused or unaddressed, such as that the school boycotts “universities on occupied land of Palestine,” or that it makes a public statement showing support for “Palestinians and Palestinian students.”

“In our meetings, they have claimed that they do not make political statements, that the university doesn’t get involved in politics. However, that is a bare-faced lie,” Canjura said.

The university “has made various political statements including one showing support for Ukraine, one following Oct. 7 condemning Hamas and they have also put out a statement following the killing of Mahsa Amini by Iranian police,” she said. “It is a very clear bias.”

‘Many different mechanisms’ to continue fight, protester says

The school said in its letter its insurance won’t cover anyone participating in unauthorized activities on campus, making individuals “liable for any injuries or damages caused or incurred.”

“UM will continue to support students in sharing their perspectives in ways that do not involve camping, erecting structures, blocking access to university property, or otherwise disrupting the functioning of the university,” it said.

Canjura said the protesters are retaining legal counsel in case the encampment faces an injunction for their removal, as University of Toronto protesters did earlier this month.

“There are many different mechanisms that, you know, we have used, that we will use, that we will continue to use to pursue this fight,” she said.

People holding a banner that says 'Ceasefire now.' — Protesters set up camp at the University of Manitoba’s Quad on May 7, as students in schools across North America demonstrated against Israel’s invasion of Gaza. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

“We are well prepared to resist this. Our goal is really to stand against the genocide and to ensure that our tuition dollars and our presence at the University of Manitoba is not used for harm, it is not used to violate human rights and to bomb schools or kill children.”

The Israeli government has rejected claims it is committing a genocide.

The university protesters will release an action plan on Monday at 11 a.m.

About 40 to 50 people remain in camp overnight each day, Canjura said, and hundreds regularly show up to events there.

The protesters set up there on May 7, as students in schools across North America protested Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Organizers said at the time the protest was planned to go on for only three days.

A similar encampment went up at the University of Winnipeg a few days after. Those tents came down late last month, with a statement saying the university did not engage with their demands — including assurances of their safety.

The CBC has requested comment from the university.