A student-led pro-Palestinian encampment was established at the University of Calgary on Thursday morning, joining the dozens of protests happening on campuses across Canada and the U.S.
The Calgary Student Movement is leading the encampment and protest, according to a news release on Thursday. The encampment, called the Mohkinstsis Liberated Zone, will stay in place until the university meets the group’s demands, the news release said.
The group is demanding that the university completely and permanently divest from all corporations involved directly and indirectly with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which escalated last October.
Calgary Student Movement is also calling on the university to condemn Israel’s actions toward Palestinians.
The encampment at the University of Calgary joins hundreds of students across Canada and the U.S. setting up encampments and calling on their schools to disclose ties with the Israeli government and divest from Israeli universities. This includes protests and encampments at the University of Toronto, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Ottawa and Western University, among others.
“We are here to demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Palestine and confident that the university will meet our demands soon,” said Ryn LaRoux, one of the spokespeople for Calgary Student Movement.
“UCalgary should be a place of learning and community and not be invested in genocidal violence. There are no functioning universities left in Gaza and students just like us are being killed every day. This has to stop.”
Justice for Palestinians Calgary said in a social media post that it stands in solidarity with the student encampment at the University of Calgary and across Canada.
“These student-led encampments continue a legacy of powerful resistance against imperialism, reminiscent of past movements … Justice for Palestinians Calgary condemns all acts of racism and violence against any student or faculty member, including their labelling as antisemitic for participating in any action in fighting for the liberation of Palestine,” part of the post read.
Global News has reached out to the University of Calgary for comment.
–More to come…
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