The University of Toronto graduates will hold their graduation ceremony on Monday. Pro-Palestine Despite being issued trespass notices and facing legal action, the camp remained on campus for weeks.
More than 30 graduation ceremonies are scheduled to take place as of June 21, and the university said all events will go on as planned but “with additional precautions.”
The university sought to clear the encampment before graduation ceremonies began and asked the court for an emergency injunction authorizing police to take action to remove protesters who refused to leave. But the judge hearing the case said a hearing could be held as early as June 19 and 20 to give protesters a fair chance to respond.
That means most graduates and their families attending the city-centre campus ceremony are likely to pass by a fenced-off encampment filled with tents, placards and flags. Opposite the graduation hall is King's College Ring Road, where the encampment was set up on May 2 after protesting students broke through a makeshift fence erected by the university around a vast grassy area.
Exhibits and affidavits filed by the university in court include letters from students and parents who are concerned about the impact of the protests on graduation ceremonies.
But protesters said they did not think their presence would disrupt graduation ceremonies. Sara Rasikh, a spokeswoman for the camp, said graduation ceremonies had been held at the fence at King's College Square “for many years.”
“The only difference between this year and last year is the Palestinian flag on the fence,” she said in an interview, adding that many of the students at the camp are graduating this month.
“Graduates should attend (the ceremony) if they wish, and we do not take any public position on that,” Lasik said.
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The university argued that the encampment posed health and safety risks and led to widespread reports of harassment, hate speech, anti-Semitic incidents and violence — claims protest organizers denied.
In court documents, the University of Toronto said the increased number of students, faculty, staff and others on campus during graduation “results in the potential for continued verbal and physical harassment of community members by those on campus and increases the potential for violent confrontations.”
In an email submitted to the court, one student wrote to University of Toronto and said they would not attend the graduation dinner at the Hart Building because “the campus is no longer a safe place for Jews.”
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One parent of a graduating senior wrote in to ask if the ceremony could be moved to a “safer location.” The email said a family member who planned to attend the ceremony was a Holocaust survivor and that walking through the camp would be painful.
“Please explain how the University of Toronto plans to ensure graduation ceremonies are safe and meaningful,” the parent wrote.
“How does (the university) plan to ensure the safety of all graduates and attendees? How does it plan to ensure that the graduation ceremony is not interfered with by politics? We are proud of our daughters and we just want this celebration to go on without any problems.”
The University of Toronto said it takes the safety of graduates and their guests “extremely seriously” and has “robust” processes in place to handle event disruptions.
“This year, we are taking extra precautions to ensure a safe and festive environment, including requiring graduates to show identification when picking up their graduation gowns and limiting the bags and personal items that can be brought into the commencement hall,” the school wrote in a statement to The Canadian Press.
The university's court filing also includes emails supporting the encampment, including a letter from a student who graduated this month urging administrators to heed protesters' demands and avoid using police force to clear the encampment.
“If due to negligence, a safe meeting cannot be ensured, be opposed to“I would rather have my graduation ceremony canceled than see other students arrested and abused,” the student wrote.
The demonstrators said they would remain in the camp until the university meets their demands, which include disclosing investments in companies that have profited from Israel's offensive on Gaza.
Similar encampments have popped up on university campuses across Canada in recent months, with some schools considering or taking legal action against protesters.
The camp at McGill University has been in place for more than a month, forcing administrators to move graduation ceremonies off-campus to the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens.
McGill University President Dipu Saini expressed dismay that representatives from the camp walked out of a final meeting aimed at ending the protests.
– Filed under: Rianna Lim
© 2024 The Canadian Press
