Protesters on Western University campus: We’re leaving

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Just days shy of two months, the pro-Palestine encampment that has heightened tensions on the Western University campus is being dismantled, protesters say.

The camp, which has been in place since May 8, is being dismantled, members of the protest group, the Western Divestment Coalition, said Saturday, roughly according to the timetable demanded by school President Alan Shepard in an ultimatum of sorts issued earlier this week.

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The student-led group made the announcement during a demonstration on Saturday afternoon, arguing that the Western administration had shown it was “done negotiating” with protesters.

“They have made it very clear that the camp must end before the weekend, and they have made it very clear that if the students do not voluntarily take down the camp, they will go after the people who participated,” said Mahmoud, a student who acted as a presenter at the demonstration.

Mahmoud, who did not give his last name, says the university issued a trespassing notice to one of its members, which the group interpreted as evidence that Western was considering options to dismantle the camp. Shepard has said the university will not penalize participants if they “voluntarily remove” the camp by Sunday night.

One protester recently estimated that about three dozen people were sleeping there in tents every night. All the tents have been removed.

While the situation was largely peaceful, tensions rose around the encampment taking place outside the University Community Center. Last week, protesters brought construction materials to reinforce the camp, while university officials accused protesters of “egregious” behavior by damaging a nearby bathroom.

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Like protests on other North American college campuses, Western’s focused on Israel’s war with Hamas-controlled Gaza, which began in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. The group urged Western officials to cut economic ties with Israel and any companies linked to the conflict.

It appears school officials have not reached such an agreement, given the protesters’ statement on Saturday: “Our commitment to divestment remains steadfast. We will not give up or budge until Western meets the ethical investment standards it claims to uphold.”

David Heap, an associate professor at Western University, said the students wanted to keep pushing to achieve their goals and avoid possible judicial or police repression.

“The students did not want to face police repression or legal repression, they want to remain free so they can return and continue to push for community divestment goals,” she said.

Both Mahmoud and Heap pledged that their groups will continue to pressure the university with different tactics and attend future events. The student coalition also called on Western to withdraw all trespass notices and to maintain its commitment not to punish protesters.

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Western officials were not immediately available for comment Saturday. In a statement issued Friday night, the university said the student group rejected an offer of undisclosed stock the school was willing to take and alleged that instances of assault, intimidation and vandalism were occurring at the camp.

Protests at other Ontario universities appear to be coming to an end. At the University of Toronto, protesters dismantled their encampment three days ago when they faced a court order to leave or risk arrest. At the University of Waterloo, school officials filed a lawsuit. a $1.5 million lawsuit against the protesters, alleging that their presence has caused the school “significant damage and harm,” including costs for property repairs and security, and has negatively affected its ability to attract and retain students and faculty.

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