Gaza protesters at UBC dig in for long haul
Pro-Palestinian protesters camped out at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus are bringing in water, food and other supplies in preparation to stay as long as it takes the school to accept their demands.
The encampment that went up Monday has since grown to about 30 tents, with some filled with large quantities of bottled water, food and bedding, while two portable toilets have also been brought in.
A protest spokesman, who would only identify himself as Kevin, said he and others will not leave until their demands are met. Those demands include an academic boycott of Israeli universities and that UBC divests itself from Israeli companies that they say are complicit in “oppression and genocide” of Palestinians.
“I’m pretty confident we can stay as long as it takes,” said Kevin, who identified himself as a second-year student at UBC.
“Everybody here is talking to each other, supporting each other. And we have plenty of food, plenty of water. We’re here as long as our demands aren’t met.”
The protest at UBC follows a wave of similar rallies and encampments protesting Israel’s offensive in Gaza at universities across North America, including at McGill University in Montreal.
There was no visible RCMP presence outside the camp.
UBC spokesman Matthew Ramsey said in a written statement Tuesday that the school is continuing to monitor the situation and warned protesters of several violations of the university’s policies.
“These include the removal of items from nearby construction sites and university property, the removal of furnishings from nearby university buildings, minor damage to the buildings and furnishings, and possibly to the turf field, the erection of barricades and the construction of cooking facilities on UBC property, as well as the removal and possible theft of a Canadian flag from a UBC flagpole,” Ramsey said.
He said several protesters are not from the school.
“To the extent that inappropriate conduct violates one or more of the University’s policies, individuals may be subject to the University’s disciplinary processes or other appropriate measures under the university’s discrimination policy or student code of conduct.”
The response came as school officials at McGill said that they have asked Montreal police to dismantle the camp there because activists are refusing to leave. Police said they are evaluating different avenues to respond to the university’s request.