Pro-Palestinian Protesters at University of Victoria Clearing Encampment After Trespass Notice

Pro-Palestinian Protesters at University of Victoria Clearing Encampment After Trespass Notice
People gather and pitch tents at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver on April 29, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns)
The Canadian Press
Updated:
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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 on July 22 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 July 22 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.