Ontario Premier Doug Ford says universities should remove pro-Palestinian encampments

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it’s time for universities to clear out the pro-Palestinian encampments that have ramped up on campuses across the country, adding there shouldn’t be hate speech of any kind at the protests.

Mr. Ford on Monday weighed in for the first time on the encampments, which include a large pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Toronto near Queen’s Park.

“I’m not in favour of these encampments on the universities. They need to move,” Mr. Ford told reporters during a brief scrum at the legislature. “The university has to move these people along.”

Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tent encampments at several universities across the country, including McGill University, where protesters have been on campus for over a week, and more recently at the University of Ottawa, McMaster University in Hamilton and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. A wave of protests has also swept across dozens of campuses in the U.S.

Protesters at U of T are demanding the school disclose its investments, divest from companies connected to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and cut ties with some Israeli universities.

Mr. Ford said he’s received messages from parents, and not only from the Jewish community, asking if their students will be safe on campus or if they will be harassed and bullied.

“It’s unacceptable,” he said.

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Mr. Ford said the protests are occurring on private property and that protesters need to leave. He said he’s heard from people across the province who aren’t Palestinian or Jewish who are fed up with the encampments.

“It’s not saying you can’t voice your opinion or whatever, but I can’t stand if there’s hate speech. I can’t stand some of the nasty stuff I’ve been seeing out there.”

Sara Rasikh, a graduate student at the University of Toronto and a spokesperson for the encampment there, said the Premier’s comments weren’t surprising. She also said the university had not yet addressed her group’s divestment demands.

And she dismissed Mr. Ford’s concerns about safety, saying the protest is not blocking any students from getting to class and that it has put out a code of conduct, which prohibits harassment and hate speech.

“This does not change anything,” Ms. Rasikh said of Mr. Ford’s remarks. “We will not be leaving until our demands are met.”

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Sandy Welsh, vice-provost students at the University of Toronto, said in an online statement on Monday that members of the university’s administration met “in good faith” over the weekend with U of T student representatives of those in the encampment.

“Our discussions have been constructive, and we see a way forward,” the statement said.

But Prof. Welsh said the university remains concerned about the large numbers of the broader public coming to campus for rallies and marches that have resulted in “reported assaults and hate speech.”

Stephanie Sayer, a spokesperson for Toronto Police, said U of T is leading the planning for how to deal with protests on their property and that the institution has so far not asked for assistance.

“If there is a public safety issue, we will attend,” she said in an e-mail.

Wade Hemsworth, a spokesperson for McMaster, said protesters set up an encampment on Sunday and that it has been peaceful, with university activities continuing as usual, including classes.

Both McGill and Quebec Premier François Legault have described the Montreal encampment as illegal, and asked police to help dismantle the tents.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said universities are places of free speech and debate but that everyone must feel safe on campus, adding that it’s up to universities and local police forces to manage the protests.

Meanwhile, at Queen’s Park on Monday, the Speaker of Ontario’s legislature, Ted Arnott, addressed MPPs before Question Period to “clarify” his ruling that deemed wearing the keffiyeh, the traditional scarf that has long been a symbol of the Palestinian cause, a political statement forbidden by chamber’s long-standing rules.

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While Mr. Arnott had previously said the ban applied to the entire “legislative precinct,” including its offices and corridors, he said Monday that the scarf could be worn by staff, visitors and MPPs in those areas but would remain banned in the chamber itself and its public galleries. He also said he had never concluded the scarf was not also “a cultural symbol for many in the Arab and Muslim communities.”

The conciliatory move did not stop a small number of MPPs from wearing the scarf during House proceedings on Monday in protest, including independent former NDP member Sarah Jama, who has done so before, and two NDP MPPs, Joel Harden and Kristyn Wong-Tam.

The Speaker named Ms. Jama in the House for breaking the rule, a procedure that prompts an MPP to be ejected from chamber and forbids them from participating for the day. He also issued a warning to Mr. Harden, the MPP for Ottawa-Centre. Mr. Harden and Ms. Wong-Tam, who had already left their seats, exited the chamber with Ms. Jama when she was asked to leave.

Attempts to overrule the Speaker’s ban have failed to receive the required unanimous consent, blocked by a handful of Progressive Conservative MPPs despite support from all four major party leaders.

With a report from The Canadian Press