A student group with the University of Toronto campus encampment say that they will not abandon their protest until the university offers a commitment to meet their demands despite an extended deadline to evacuate fast approaching.
The encampment was established in early May as a means to pressure the university to disclose their ties to Israel and divest from companies profiting from its offensive in Gaza. Today, it includes dozens of tents on U of T's downtown campus.
University administration issued a trespass notice late Thursday to the encampment participants, vowing to take "all necessary legal steps" if protesters did not clear out by Monday morning, claiming the action was "contrary to the university’s commitment to fostering a welcoming and safe community."
On Sunday, the University issued a written statement denying it is connected to the Israeli military action in any way, including investing in weapons manufacturing companies.
In a follow-up statement, the university said that they "look forward to meeting later today with students representing those in the encampment."
"If the encampment remains non-compliant with the trespass notice, we will be proceeding to court to seek injunctive relief through an urgent hearing," a spokesperson said.
Protester Mohammad Yassin said that the group has no plans of leaving until the two sides reach a commitment on divesting funds.
“We are planning to stay here until we get a commitment to our demands. The process itself, the pulling of funds from companies that support these Israeli government, may take time, but the time for the university to do so is immediate,” he told reporters on Sunday.
The encampment is one of several established at Canadian university campuses, including those in Vancouver and Montreal, since early May.
Erin Matthew, a fourth-year undergraduate student, told reporters on Sunday that the action includes more than just students -- that faculty and staff members have also joined and shown their support.
“…Students, faculty and staff members of the U of T community have been sleeping in tents, cancelling their summer plans and showing up every single day for the past 24-days […] It is because the past 233 days Israel has and continues to enact an ongoing and active genocide against the people of Palestine.”
A negotiation meeting is set to take place o Sunday at 5 p.m. with the university’s administration.
