Lawyers for a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of Toronto will present their case to an Ontario court today as the university seeks an injunction to release the weeks-long demonstration.
The hearing began Wednesday with attorneys for the university arguing that the protesters have taken control of private property and are restricting community access to the area known as King’s College Circle.
They said many in the community have reported feeling unsafe or unwelcome on campus as a result of the protest, and that the encampment has caused irreparable damage.
The email you need for the day’s top news stories from Canada and around the world.
In documents filed earlier this week, attorneys for the protesters say the school’s claims of irreparable harm are based on the mischaracterization of the encampment as violent and anti-Semitic.
They also argue that the discomfort of those who disagree with the protest does not outweigh their protected rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The encampment was set up on May 2. The university issued a citation weeks later and filed a request for an injunction shortly afterward.
The school is asking the court to authorize police action to remove protesters who refuse to leave, and to ban protesters from blocking access to university property or erecting fences, tents or other structures on campus.
Representatives of the encampment have said they will not leave until the school agrees to their demands, which include disclosing and divesting investments in companies benefiting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Both parties have met to reach an agreement outside the legal proceedings. Protesters said their latest offer was rejected on Tuesday, while the university said on Wednesday it had not yet received a response to its counter-offer.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
