Police on scene at University of Calgary pro-Palestinian protest

CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2024 11:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 minute ago

Police in riot gear are on the scene at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment that has been set up on the University of Calgary campus.

In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) said they were notified at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday by campus security that protestors had begun setting up tents on the south lawn of MacEwan Hall

The post said the protestors were asked to leave and, when they refused, were informed they were trespassing. The protestors still refused to leave, CPS said, and police were then called in for assistance.

"We are working with the university to safely resolve this situation. We have a limited police presence to ensure public safety while we work with the university and protest leaders to come to a resolution. More information will be released as it becomes available," the CPS post said.

According to the student-led group behind the encampment, it has set up on campus to get the attention of the university's senior leadership, including president Edward McCauley and interim provost Penny Werthner.

Students want divestment

Like other recent university protests, those involved say students at the U of C are demonstrating to demand officials disclose and sever any ties the school has with Israel.

"We've been asking the U of C to review their investments, to make their investments more public, to make sure that we know what's going on, where the money's going, our tuition money," said Mohammad Arhaam Mukati, president and co-founder of the U of C's Palestinian Advocacy Club, who is involved with the encampment. 

"They're not asking for much. What they are asking for is crucial, it's important, it's significant."

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The list of demands is outlined in the statement issued by the organizing groups.

They are asking the U of C to disclose all of its direct and indirect investments involving Israel. 

They are also calling for a "complete and continued divestment [from] corporations that develop military technology in order to profit from wars globally, all corporations that play a role in suppressing Indigenous peoples globally, and all corporations that have links to regimes under investigation by the International Criminal Court."

Further, the organizers are urging the university to adopt a definition of anti-Palestinian racism on campus with a zero-tolerance policy, and support Palestinian students' mental wellness and academic success.

More to come.