With portable toilets and barricades, Gaza protest camp at UBC digs in for long haul
Pro-Palestinian protesters camped out at the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus are bringing in water, food and other supplies in preparation to stay as long as it takes the school to accept their demands.
The encampment that went up Monday has since grown to about 30 tents, with some filled with large quantities of bottled water, food and bedding, while two portable toilets have also been brought in.
A protest spokesman, who would only identify himself as Kevin, said he and others will not leave until their demands are met. Those demands include an academic boycott of Israeli universities and that UBC divests itself from Israeli companies that they say are complicit in “oppression and genocide” of Palestinians.
“I'm pretty confident we can stay as long as it takes,” said Kevin, who identified himself as a second-year student at UBC.
“Everybody here is talking to each other, supporting each other. And we have plenty of food, plenty of water. We're here as long as our demands aren't met.”
The protest at UBC follows a wave of similar rallies and encampments protesting Israel's offensive in Gaza at universities across North America, including at McGill University in Montreal.
There was no visible RCMP presence outside the camp, and a police spokesman directed comments to UBC, which said updated comments on the situation would be released later Tuesday.
The response came as school officials at McGill said that they have asked Montreal police to dismantle the camp there because activists are refusing to leave. Police said they are evaluating different avenues to respond to the university's request.
At UBC, about 80 protesters have erected makeshift barriers around the field where they've pitched their tents, using materials ranging from metal fences secured with zip ties and overturned picnic tables to piles of wood pallets and traffic barricades fastened with ropes and bungee cords.
Palestinian flags and banners displaying slogans such as “free Palestine,” hang near the protest site.
A UBC spokesman had said Monday that the protesters have not been given permission to erect barriers, and the school is in contact with police to monitor the situation.
“Of course, it's hard to not notice...the other movements in North America and also the tensions mounting at McGill so far,” Kevin said, noting that officials have deactivated power outlets in and around the field where the encampment is located.
“Even though the police presence from the university hasn't been great and they've been pretty hostile toward us, I'm still pretty confident, how we've been dealing with it pretty well. And the camp is still alive and well.”
Inside the camp Tuesday, the atmosphere was festive with music playing and people sitting on lawn chairs or in tents chatting among themselves.
Among the protest banners was a sign notifying attendees of escorts available to the washrooms in nearby school buildings, reminding people that they would need to check in again to re-enter the encampment.
Outside the camp, people wearing Uber Eats shirts are handing out coupons to those passing by, including protesters coming in and out of the camp.
On Monday, B.C. Premier David Eby had called on both the school and student leaders to balance the right to free speech on campus and the need for personal safety for people of all backgrounds.
The Israel-Hamas conflict was sparked by the Hamas Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel where about 1,200 people were killed and some 250 people were taken as hostage.
Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others, while the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, and about two-thirds of those fatalities are children and women.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
At least 13 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.