Vancouver Island University has issued a trespass notice to pro-Palestinian protesters, telling them to vacate their encampment on the campus in Nanaimo, B.C. by Monday.
The university said in a statement that the notice was issued Thursday and if protesters are not gone by 8 a.m. Monday, it would “take all legal steps necessary to remove them.”
On Friday, the protesters urged the university not to waste money on a legal challenge and instead engage in dialogue.
The university’s move came after a court in Ontario granted an injunction against a protest camp at the University of Toronto, leading to protesters leaving. Vancouver Island University noted this in its statement.
The university said it will seek an injunction against the camp and damages from protesters if the camp isn’t dismantled by the deadline.
It said the camp that has been in place since May 1 posed “unprecedented challenges” and the university must prioritize the safety and peace for all people on campus.
It said these actions have included occupations of university buildings and vandalism, adding that it issued a previous trespass notice on May 2.
The organizers of the camp, Palestinian Solidarity Encampment Nanaimo, said in an emailed statement Friday that it had “consistently maintained a peaceful and safe environment.”
They say they have been committed to “reaching a resolution” with the school, but the school had decided not to “engage peacefully with students.”
Vancouver Island University said although it too was hopeful the situation could have been resolved through dialogue, it had “become evident that it is not realistic to continue to anticipate that the encampment can be resolved in this way.”
The camp is among a number of such protest sites at universities in Canada and the United States.
A protest camp at the University of B.C. in Vancouver was vacated by protesters voluntarily last week.
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