Pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Manitoba ends after two months

WINNIPEG -

A pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Manitoba has been dismantled more than two months after it was set up.

Tents and other items had been removed from an open, grassy area on the campus in south Winnipeg by Monday morning -- a deadline the university set for the protesters to avoid legal action.

"Encampment participants have peacefully dismantled the encampment," the university said in a statement.

"We respect the right to peaceful assembly in ways that do not infringe upon the right to access public space by other student groups or impede the functioning of the university, including unauthorized occupation of university property."

The protesters set up on May 7 at a time when many schools in Canada saw demonstrations against Israel's actions in Gaza.

The protesters gave the University of Manitoba a list of several demands, including a boycott of Israeli institutions implicated in human-rights violations. They also wanted the school to make public statements in support of Palestinians and Palestinian students.

University administration said last week it had met with protesters and provided a response to their concerns.

The protesters said Monday they weren't satisfied but decided to leave the site anyway.

"We are not leaving merely to escape the administration's 'legal remedies,' but to deprive the University of Manitoba of the spectacle they desire," Students for Justice in Palestine, University of Manitoba, said in a written statement.

"The demands laid out by our students are non-negotiable."

Protests will continue, the group added.

"If the University of Manitoba believes that their intimidation tactics and disrespectful ignorance will deter us, they are wrong."

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2024.