Showdown looms at Western University protest encampment

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A clear-out ultimatum deadline now on them, pro-Palestinian protesters encamped at Western University for two months could be in for a showdown with the school after the weekend.

Western has given the dug-in protesters until the end of Sunday to dismantle their encampment to avoid disciplinary action by the school against any students or employees participating in the protest that began in the spring in the fallout of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

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But the protesters remain defiant, saying there’s no plan to take down their tents – where up to 30 people nightly have camped out – and calling the weekend deadline an “inflammatory response” by the school. They’ve also rejected the university’s proposed response to a series of demands they’ve made to end the encampment, including a call for Western to sever any financial ties to Israel or companies linked to the nine-month conflict in the Mideast.

“As of now, we are not moving anywhere,” Jay, a protest spokesperson who identified himself as a Western biomedical engineering student, said Friday. “The people of the encampment still stand strong and (are) still committed to being here.”

The protesters, fearing reprisals by the school, have avoided publicly using surnames.

Earlier this week, in a statement posted online, Western president Alan Shepard said the encampment falls “well outside” the bounds of peaceful protest but the university will not pursue disciplinary action against participating students or employees if the protesters “voluntarily remove” their encampment by the end of the weekend.

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The school, which has publicly voiced growing frustration at the protest even as talks with student representatives have been held, did not explicitly say what would happen if the encampment remains past the weekend, leaving the implication that it would pursue sanctions against participants after that.

“If a student or an employee engaged in violence, property damage, building barricades, unauthorized entry into buildings, harassment or discrimination, they will be held accountable,” Shepard said in his online statement posted Wednesday evening.

The university has not commented on the standoff beyond the statement, nor did it respond to a London Free Press request asking if it would consider going to court to seek an injunction or take other legal action to end the encampment if it remains after the weekend.

The protesters say they plan a news conference Saturday to respond to Western’s latest statement and proposal to end the impasse, dealing with issues ranging from the school’s investments to financial support for war-displaced students including Palestinians.

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The Western Divestment Coalition said Friday it will hold a news conference at noon on Saturday followed by a rally at the intersection of Western Road and Lambton Drive at the western edge of the university.

Earlier this week, a similar dug-in protest ended at the University of Toronto after it obtained a court injunction to end an encampment on its grounds.

Pro-Palestinian protests first broke out at many American college and university campuses this spring, later spreading to Canada, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and calls for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hamas grew.

Hamas staged an attack on Israel from Gaza in October that killed 1,200 people and led to the seizure of more than 200 hostages. Israel responded with a military offensive in Gaza, whose death toll since has reportedly eclipsed 38,000.

At Western, the spokesperson for the protesters said participants have known all along the potential legal and academic risks of taking part in the encampment. “(There is) no doubt that there is a risk that people assume by being part of this encampment,” he said.

Last week, Western warned the protesters against building a “more permanent” base on campus after it was fortified with building materials brought in.

nbrennan@postmedia.com

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