The Canadian Press
Wed, May 29, 2024
VANCOUVER — Police have arrested one person during the clearance of pro-Palestinian protesters who were blocking a main intersection at the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver.
But there was no obvious move against a protest encampment that has occupied a sports field at the campus for a month.
A statement from the RCMP says the clearance involved officers from the University and Richmond detachments, RCMP critical response officers, Vancouver police and the B.C. Highway Patrol.
It says police were called to the intersection of University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall where protesters were "impeding access" to the main entrance into the university.
The statement says demonstrators were given the opportunity to get off the road but police action was required to clear the intersection.
It says one person "did not comply with police direction" and was arrested.
The intersection was clear by 12:15 p.m., though several unoccupied RCMP vehicles remained nearby.
"The intersection has reopened to the public, however the RCMP will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary action should there be any criminal activities that pose a threat to the safety of individuals and/or property," the RCMP statement said.
UBC said in a statement that the protest at the intersection had "created difficulties and traffic delays."
"The safety and security of our community members and visitors remains our foremost priority. Any protest actions must be conducted with respect for others and within the boundaries of UBC policy and the law," it said.
It added that graduation ceremonies were proceeding as scheduled.
Video posted shortly after 11 a.m. by an Instagram account associated with the protests showed dozens of uniformed officers walking down the main route into the university.
The account called "People's University for Gaza at UBC" had earlier posted an update asking people to gather for a rally at the intersection.
Footage provided by a protester who did not want to be identified showed RCMP officers standing over a woman sitting on the road, her hands behind her back.
A voice over a loudspeaker tells protesters: "This is the RCMP. You need to clear the area immediately or you will be under arrest."
The protest occurred during spring graduation ceremonies at UBC that have been going on since last week.
After police cleared the road, a few dozen demonstrators marched across campus from the Rose Garden near the ceremonies to McInnes Field, the site of the protest encampment established April 29.
Cst. Tania Visintin with the Vancouver police said the department was asked to go on "standby," and video posted by the protest group showed Vancouver police vehicles near the intersection, but Visintin said they did not deploy any officers.
Organizers behind Wednesday's rally issued a statement saying an "autonomous coalition" of student protesters had blocked the intersection on campus.
It said that over the past week, "thousands of graduates have walked the stage on this unceded Musqueam land," and this was in "stark contrast" to the current situation in Gaza "wherein there are no graduation ceremonies whatsoever."
The pro-Palestinian encampment at UBC was the first of three similar camps to spring up in the province in response to Israel's actions in its war with Hamas.
Protesters at UBC as well as the University of Victoria and Vancouver Island University have called for the schools to end financial and academic ties with Israeli companies and institutions they say are complicit in the "genocide" of Palestinians.
At an unrelated press conference on Wednesday, Premier David Eby said the protests require a "difficult balance" for post-secondary institutions to strike between the right of free speech and the need for people to feel safe at school.
"They need to feel comfortable in their classes, they need to be comfortable on campus and everyone needs to feel welcome there," Eby said.
"I would encourage everybody to do their best to ensure those twin values are respected on our campuses."
A spokeswoman for UBC said earlier this week that the school had no update to its May 16 statement from president Benoit-Antoine Bacon, which called for "productive dialogue with members of the encampment to work toward a peaceful resolution."
The letter from organizers on Wednesday called on Bacon to condemn the "clearly documented genocide (and) scholasticide" in Gaza in order to start a dialogue.
The camp had about 60 tents on Wednesday, fewer than during its early days.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2024.
Nono Shen and Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
1 arrest after pro-Palestinian protesters block UBC intersection
CBC
Wed, May 29, 2024
Pro-Palestinian protesters march during a demonstration at the rose garden at the University of British Columbia. (Ethan Cairns/CBC - image credit)
RCMP say one person was arrested after pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of British Columbia ramped up action in their month-long demonstration on Wednesday by blocking off a major intersection at the Point Grey campus.
Since late April, demonstrators have camped on MacInnes Field to protest the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, hanging up signs calling for "Freedom for Palestine" and urging Canada to "stop arming the genocide," referencing the sale of arms to Israel.
On Wednesday morning the protesters moved to the road, with about 100 of them blocking the intersection of University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall, about 250 metres east of the camp.
Chants of "we will not stop, we will not rest" and "no peace on stolen land" could be heard.
In a press release, an RCMP spokesperson said its Critical Response Unit responded, along with officers from the Vancouver Police Department, Richmond RCMP and B.C. Highway Patrol.
Officers formed a line before walking into the intersection, clearing it by around 12:15 p.m. PT.
Police said they arrested one person.
"Demonstrators were given the opportunity to relocate off the roadway to avoid enforcement action," RCMP said in a statement. "Despite attempts to facilitate communication with protesters, police action was required to clear the intersection."
The protesters moved off westward, still chanting.
Const. Tania Visintin with the Vancouver Police Department said the department was asked to go on "standby" but added that no officers were deployed.
Pro-Palestinian protest encampments have been set up on university campuses across the country, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues in the Middle East.
Police block pro-Palestinian protesters from entering an area with recent graduates at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Police block pro-Palestinian protesters from entering an area with recent graduates at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)
Protesters have called for schools to end financial and academic ties with Israeli companies and institutions.
A spokesperson for UBC said earlier this week that the school had no update to its May 16 statement from president Benoit-Antoine Bacon, which called for "productive dialogue with members of the encampment to work toward a peaceful resolution."
On Monday, Bacon joined the presidents of Concordia University, McGill University and the University of Toronto to tell a committee of MPs that they are working to combat antisemitism on their campuses.
Demonstrators at the University of British Columbia protesting the Israel-Hamas conflict moved to Wesbrook Mall and University Boulevard on Wednesday.
Demonstrators at the University of British Columbia protesting the Israel-Hamas war blocked off the intersection of Wesbrook Mall and University Boulevard on Wednesday morning. (CBC News)
The meeting comes after claims that Jewish students have experienced a rising number of incidents of antisemitism since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked communities in southern Israel.
The militants killed around 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage in the surprise attack, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Protestors chanted "we will not stop we will not rest" as they moved onto the road.
Protesters chanted 'we will not stop, we will not rest' as they moved onto the road. (CBC News)
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