The University of Toronto has given pro-Palestine demonstrators a notice of trespass after unsuccessful negotiations on May 24, 2024. It’s been over three weeks since the start of their encampment at King’s College Circle.Sammy Kogan /The Globe and Mail
The University of Toronto has issued a notice of trespass to the pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus, giving protesters until Monday morning to vacate the area.
Copies of the trespass notice were handed out and affixed to the encampment fence on King’s College Circle shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, when an administration offer that could have ended the protest expired.
Student leaders accepted the notice and said they intend to continue negotiating with the university to seek a solution. The next meeting between university administrators and protesters is set for Sunday afternoon.
“This is definitely an escalation from the university,” said Erin Mackey, a fourth-year student who has been speaking on behalf of demonstrators. “We are here, we will continue to be here and we will continue to demand divestment.”
University of Toronto President Meric Gertler delivers the university's offer on May 23.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Demonstrators, many of whom have been living in the encampment since it began on May 2, have called on the university to disclose its investments and divest from companies connected to the Israeli military. They’ve also demanded that the university cut ties with Israeli academic institutions that operate in occupied territories.
In its notice of trespass, the university administration asserts that the campus is private property and that encampments are considered trespassing as well as contrary to the student code of conduct. It said many health and safety concerns have arisen from the protest and the takeover of a common space violates the fundamental principle of inclusion.
If the protesters don’t vacate the area by 8 a.m. Monday, the university said it will take necessary legal steps and seek an injunction from the Ontario Superior Court. It said students could be subject to discipline, including sanctions as severe as a five-year suspension or a recommendation of expulsion.
The notice of trespass also took specific aim at faculty and staff.
“Faculty members, librarians and staff may be subject to disciplinary measures up to and including termination of employment, in accordance with the relevant university policies and/or the applicable collective agreement,” the notice states.
On Thursday the university made an offer aimed at ending the protest. It said it would expedite a review of the divestment request and create an expert working group to consider greater transparency in its investments. It rejected the protesters’ demand to cut ties with Israeli universities, saying it would be at odds with its commitment to academic freedom.
A copy of the notice of trespass issued to pro-Palestine demonstrators on May 24 by the University of Toronto.Sammy Kogan /The Globe and Mail
In exchange for those concessions, the demonstrators were asked to dismantle their camp immediately and to refrain from disrupting convocation ceremonies.
On Thursday when asked if he was willing to call police to clear the encampment, U of T president Meric Gertler said he was not eliminating any options.
The U of T protest is one of several on Canadian campuses, part of a broader movement that has spread across the continent, sparking debates about free speech and assembly and how universities should respond. Police cleared encampments at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary with batons and flashbang explosives earlier this month and there have been violent clashes at U.S. universities.
Kalliopé Anvar McCall, a fourth-year student and protest organizer, said she thought the trespass notice would unify the demonstrators.
Earlier in the day, she said the university had not made a serious attempt at negotiation with its proposal to end the encampment, saying it was more of an ultimatum than an offer.
Protesters participating in the encampment at King’s College Circle at the University of Toronto continue to demand the University divests from companies connected to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.Sammy Kogan /The Globe and Mail
“They are trying to force us to accept these outrageous terms by threatening to clear us out,” Ms. McCall said.
“This document is nothing but a summary of their already existing procedure on divestment and disclosure with a few minor tweaks to bait us into thinking that we are getting a good deal.”
Dr. Gertler said Thursday that the administration had been patient in seeking a negotiated solution. But the protesters have occupied part of campus for weeks and some members of the community are distressed by the encampment.
Jay Solomon, chief advancement officer for Hillel Ontario, a group that advocates on behalf of Jewish students, said his organization has heard from Jewish students who feel intimidated by the encampment and he called on the university to end what he described as an unlawful occupation of campus.
“I think the university needs to take immediate action to ensure that Jewish students, like all other students, feel welcome and safe on campus. What they’ve been doing up until now has been ineffective and it’s time to take more concrete and immediate steps,” Mr. Solomon said.