One person was arrested and three others were ticketed after students at Université Laval in Quebec City attempted to join a wave of campus protests by setting up a pro-Palestinian encampment at the school Saturday afternoon.
Over 20 students set up tents on the corner of Chemin Ste-Foy and Du Séminaire Avenue before Quebec City police (SPVQ) asked them to take the encampment down.
Police said the students would be removed if they attempted to set up their tents again, according to spokesperson for the students Antoine Grenier. The students were still able to continue to demonstrate.
In a news release Sunday morning, the SPVQ said its police officers spoke with protesters and explained the municipal regulations, which prohibit the installation of tents on public property without having first obtained written authorization.
“The term ‘public property’ includes Université Laval,” said William Robitaille, spokesperson for the SPVQ, in an email Sunday morning.
As pro-Palestinian encampments pop up on university campuses across Canada, there’s a renewed focus on freedom of expression.
During the police intervention, three statements of offence were issued to protesters and one person was arrested to prevent a repeat offence, police say.
David Fortier, another spokesperson for the students, said the group is now deciding how it’s going to proceed with the protest. He said decisions will likely come after university officials call him back to discuss the demands.
On Saturday, Grenier said he hopes the university can understand and “let us do [the encampment] because we’re doing it pacifically and we’re not violent at all.”
“We’re just here to have activities with our people and talk about what is happening [in Gaza] and ensure that the university is behind us on that as well.”
Israel launched its war against Hamas after the militant group’s attacks on Oct. 7. During the attacks, some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. About 120 people remain unaccounted for.
Health authorities in Gaza say Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and has led to famine, the destruction of key hospitals and, according to the United Nations, the displacement of 1.7 million people.
Fund managers abide by responsible investment, university says
The group of students — called Étudiants/Étudiantes de l’Université Laval pour la Palestine — is asking the university for financial transparency and that it disclose any investments with links to Israel, it said in a statement to the media. Other demands include that the university end any exchange programs with Tel Aviv University in Israel, its summer school program in Tel Azekahas, as well as any association with the Joint Canada-Israel Health Research Program.
Fortier says he doesn’t have any specifics on possible financial ties between the university and Israel.
“But the point is also that for many campuses here, it’s a very hazy issue and what we want is to be sure —100 per cent sure — that our money that goes to the university doesn’t at all go to anything related to the state of Israel,” said Fortier.
The university confirmed Saturday night that the protestors were on site until late at night and that police dismantled the encampment earlier in the evening.
“The encampment does not respect municipal regulations,” university spokesperson Andrée-Anne Stewart said in a statement to CBC News. “The SPVQ enforces municipal regulations and Université Laval respects those regulations in force.”
Stewart said the intervention was carried out by the SPVQ, who informed university officials of the situation on campus. But students say police told them they intervened at the request of the university.
According to SPVQ spokesperson Robitaille, police received information that camps were being set up on university grounds. “The information was corroborated via university security officers. We therefore acted according to municipal regulations,” he said.
In another statement, Stewart said the university manages the majority of its investments through fund managers following a policy of responsible investment. The university therefore does not have an exhaustive list of the assets included in these funds, she says.
Stewart said the university’s mission is to establish a dialogue with protestors — before, during and after any given manifestation.
Grenier says the group of students sent its demands to the university at the same time it was setting up the encampment.