Pro-Palestinian student protesters end encampment at U of O

Demonstrators calling on the University of Ottawa to divest from companies they say have ties toIsrael and the conflict in Gaza have ended their encampmenton the campus grounds.

On July 9, the pro-Palestinian demonstrators began taking down tents, postersand flags on Tabaret Lawn, signalling an end their months-longencampment.

The organizations behind the encampment,Labour for Palestine and INSAF,issueda statement early Wednesday morning, announcingstudents have "have elected to vacate the encampment on Tabaret Lawn after eleven weeks."

"We reached an impasse in negotiations as the direct result of the university claiming they had zero powers to do anything about the fundstheymanage and in fact do have full control over,"saidSumayya Kheireddine, president of INSAF, in a statement.

"At best, this university and President are out of touch with reality. At worst, they are simply cruel, and only guided by greed and immune to the suffering of others," she added.

Site left in 'deplorable state,' president says

In a statementWednesday,University of Ottawa president Jacques Frmontsaid the encampment site is in "a deplorable state" and workers will soon start to clean the area.

"We condemn the acts of vandalism committed by the demonstrators before leaving the site, which add to the already considerable damage around Tabaret since the encampment was set up and continue to generate huge costs for the University," he said.

Frmontsaid the school maintainedan"open dialogue with student organizers in good faith" to end the encampment, and put forth a number ofproposals to address their concerns.

However, he claimed organizers showed "no willingness" to make concessions, choosing instead toescalatetheir tactics through graffiti and physical aggression directed towardstaff.

Frmontconcluded by saying that"the illegal occupation of spaces is not freedom of expression," butadded the school has heard the protesters' message.

The University of Ottawa posted a notice of trespass atTabaret Hall and the lawn in front of iton Wednesday.

The evacuation from the campus grounds follows the dismantling of other pro-Palestinian encampmentsacross the country.

Last week, pro-Palestinian protestors dismantled their encampment at the University of Toronto after an Ontario judge granted an injunction ordering them to vacate the area.

Amnesty International Canada labelled the U of T ruling as "a setback on the right of peaceful assembly" arguing that the injunction will have a "chilling effect on future peaceful demonstrations."

Protestors at the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Guelph received a trespass notice from the school Monday. Wednesday morning also saw the dismantling of the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill university.

'Somebody has to be held accountable'

The University of Ottawa encampment drew support with some faculty, with more than 200 faculty and staff at the universityas well as Carleton University and SaintPaul University signing a letter of solidarity. But some faculty and student groups also expressed concerns about the safety of the camp.

One part-time professor at the University of Ottawa said on Wednesday that"somebody has to be held accountable for this terrible act of vandalism."

The former student turned part-time instructor, George Monastiriakos, told CBC News that he "looks forward to seeing how the university administration handles" any potential damage to campus property.

"What we see here is the culmination of the University of Ottawa failing to take action," Monastiriakos said, referring to various protest signs and sprayed on graffiti on campus property.

"I do hope that there is a return to normalcy," he said.