Gaza protesters at University of Victoria clearing encampment after trespass notice

By The Canadian Press on July 22, 2024.

VICTORIA – The University of Victoria says pro-Palestinian protesters are dismantling an encampment after almost three months at the campus.

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

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

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 has not responded to requests for comment.

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.

The B.C. camps have been among a number of such 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.

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