Edmonton police clear pro-Palestinian encampment at University of Alberta
By The Canadian Press on May 11, 2024.
Edmonton police say they cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Alberta early Saturday morning. Spokesman Scott Pattison says officers repeatedly told campus protesters they were breaching university policy and provincial trespassing laws, issuing a final warning just after 4:30 a.m. and then escorting demonstrators from the north campus quad. The move by authorities comes after a camp began to form on Thursday, mushrooming to about 40 tents the next day as protesters called on the university for divestment from Israeli institutions. University president Bill Flanagan issued a statement on Saturday citing fire hazards and the risk of escalation and violent clashes with counter-protesters among the reasons for police involvement. On Friday, McGill University sought a court order to dismantle an encampment at the heart of its campus in Montreal, saying safety and security are at stake. Protesters in Canada have erected encampments at universities in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver as well as Calgary, where police forcibly removed demonstrators from campus on Thursday night. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2024. 8-7
