In solidarity with universities across North America, student protesters at UVic have erected an encampment calling for a ceasefire in Palestine and for the university to divest funds from companies supporting Israel. 

“There are no moves being made [by UVic] towards divestment in a real tangible and meaningful way,” said an encampment protester*. “So we're escalating our calls to action with this encampment aligned with additional groups across North America and Turtle Island.”

Tents were pitched around 8am Wednesday on UVic’s quad, with Palestinian flags and signs calling for a ceasefire surrounding the camp. Protesters were seen wearing keffiyehs, a traditional Arab scarf that has become a symbol of support for Palestinians.

UVic’s encampment appeared the morning after hundreds of students at Columbia University in New York were arrested during a similar pro-Palestinian encampment. Police were also called to an encampment at University of California Los Angeles early that morning.  

The protest comes as a planned Israeli attack on the southern Gazan city, Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, seems likely to move ahead. Since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7—when 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage—at least 35K Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire or starvation, and nearly 78K injured. All Gazan universities have been destroyed since October.

In a release shared with Capital Daily, the university protesters said they have key demands they want met before ending the encampment.

They want the school to break ties with companies linked to arming Israel. Companies listed by the group include Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Canada Ltd., which has provided Israel with arms such as submarines and warships; BlackRock, which they say has major investments in Israel and weapons companies providing arms; and Scotiabank, known as the largest foreign investor to Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.

The protesters say the school has $4.3M invested in BlackRock and $258,372 invested in Scotiabank, while Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Canada Ltd. is leasing space owned by UVic.

They’re calling on UVic to cut all academic ties with Israeli universities and support the boycott of Israel.

Further, they want UVic president Kevin Hall and the school to publicly condemn Israel’s actions, call for a ceasefire, and affirm Palestinian rights.

A UVic spokesperson told Capital Daily the school was “aware” of the demonstration and planned to take a “calm and thoughtful approach” to handling it while trying to reduce disruptions. It’s unclear to Capital Daily whether the university intends to meet any of the protesters' demands.

“The university supports peaceful demonstrations and the right to freedom of expression,” said a UVic spokesperson. “Universities have always been a place for free speech—where students, staff, and faculty can debate ideas.”

Campus security is asking for ID at building entrances near the encampment “out of an abundance of caution,” and will be working with Saanich and Oak Bay police, UVic said.  

Honouring past generations through protest

One student demonstrator, who’s Palestinian, says the protest is personal.

“My family is directly implicated and has been displaced by settler colonialism on our homeland and our territory. We haven't had the right to return,” she said.

“The work that I'm doing is generational. It was taught to me by my grandfather, who was displaced, and my father who has been fighting for his return. And now it's myself and hopefully, for my future generations as well.”

Said another encampment protester: “In contrast, I'm Jewish. And I do have a right to return, but I have no historical background in the area.”

She said her grandmother took a DNA test which came back 100% Eastern European. However, her family has experienced the devastation of displacement, living through pogroms—violent attacks on Jewish people in the Russian Empire in the 19th and 20th century. Her family also fought apartheid in South Africa. She says her involvement in the encampment is her way to fight against the same oppression her ancestors experienced.

“I really want to honour them,” she said, of her relatives. “And I want to honour my descendants by fighting for a better world.

“I think no one is free until we all are.”

Youth often lead these movements

The UVic protest is one of several across North American post-secondary schools, with campus encampments first appearing last month in the US. In Canada, McGill and Concordia students set up a joint encampment last weekend on McGill’s Montreal campus, while UBC students did the same on Monday. Yesterday, an encampment was set up at VIU in Nanaimo and a sit-in was held at Toronto Metropolitan University. 

This student-led movement follows in the footsteps of other large-scale university protests, from recent climate change movements to demonstrations against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. 

“When I think about Palestinian liberation movements, I think about the youth. It’s always youth-led,” said an encampment protester. “Other freedom movements, like anti-war movements, always sprung up on campuses.”

“I think we have more time left in this world, so we want change.” 

The UVic protest was part of a call to action for students worldwide to support Palestine and boycott Israel on May Day—when many countries celebrate Labour Day—with several university student groups escalating their calls for a ceasefire.

For now, protesters will remain until UVic addresses their demands, with one protester saying “I’ll be here for the long haul.”

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*All student protesters that Capital Daily spoke with asked not to use their names in order to protect their standing with UVic.

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Correction: A previous version of this story stated all Palestinian universities were destroyed. This is the case in Gaza, but not the West Bank. Capital Daily regrets this error.