University warns against protest encampments

The University of Toronto has warned students about setting up anti-israel protest encampments on campus, saying they will be considered “trespassing.”

An email from Sandy Welsh, the vice-provost, students, says that while the school supports freedom of expression, assembly and protest, encampments and occupations of student buildings are not allowed.

“I am writing to remind you of the University of Toronto’s commitment to free expression and lawful and peaceful protest, as well as the necessary limits that accompany those freedoms,” Welsh’s email says.

The email comes amidst a dramatic surge in protests on American university campuses that, along with often aggressive police responses, have caught international attention and led to political condemnation as high up as the United States’ Congress.

At Mcgill University in Montreal, a protest encampment has taken over a portion of the campus. The university maintains that the encampments are a violation not just of Mcgill policy but of the law.

The protest on Mcgill began Saturday afternoon, but has since swelled as other protesters joined. There are now tents scattered around, and the university says the number of tents has tripled.

“We have become aware that many of them, if not the majority, are not members of the Mcgill community,” the school said.

In a Monday email, Mcgill said it had seen video evidence of “some people using unequivocally anti-semitic language and intimidating behaviour, which is absolutely unacceptable on our campuses.

“We condemn this in the strongest possible terms and will act quickly to investigate.”

So far, no encampment has sprung up a the University of Toronto.

The university’s statement on freedom of speech says specifically that students are allowed to “engage in peaceful assemblies and demonstrations.” However, Welsh’s email suggests anti-israel protests in the form of tent encampments do not fall under the ambit of protections afforded by university policy.