Pro-Palestine protesters with arms linked move out of the way as police move to clear an encampment at the University of Calgary campus on May 9.Noah Korver/The Canadian Press
A day after police in riot gear used tear gas and flashbang explosives to clear barricades and tents set up by pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Calgary, students and supporters returned to campus on Friday, galvanized to keep putting pressure on administrators.
Around 50 protesters continued their calls for the university to disclose any financial ties to Israel as a few police and campus security kept a close watch.
Protests have been happening at universities across the country and the U.S., but they have remained relatively calm in Canada until police and protesters clashed in Calgary on Thursday night.
At McGill University in Montreal, where some of the most heated confrontations have occurred, administrators are seeking a court order to have an encampment there dismantled. It has been up for two weeks.
University president and vice-chancellor Deep Saini said in a statement late Friday the school is concerned about safety, as neither university officials nor firefighters have been able to enter the camp to ensure it is following health and safety regulations.
“I would like to emphasize that the order, if granted, would not stop our efforts to continue our discussions with members of the McGill community participating in the encampment,” said Mr. Saini.
The court order, if approved, would authorize the Montreal police to step in and dismantle the camp.
On Friday in Calgary, speakers at the protest expressed their concern over what they called a continuing “genocide” in Gaza, leading to several chants in support of Palestine.
While no new shelters or barricades were seen, many carried Palestinian flags and wore keffiyehs.
A similar protest at the University of Alberta in Edmonton also saw participants setting up tents and waving signs. By Friday evening, the number of tents had ballooned to about 35.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference earlier Friday, Premier Danielle Smith said she was pleased police moved in to dismantle the Calgary encampment.
She said peaceful protest is fine, but rules must be followed and students’ education should not be disrupted.
“I’m glad that the University of Calgary made the decision that they did,” said Ms. Smith.
Protesters and police near an encampment at the University of Calgary.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney, at a separate press conference, said the province respects students’ right to protest but is also aware of postsecondaries’ right to enforce their policies.
Ms. Sawhney also said the provincial government would only step in “under exceptional circumstances.”
University of Calgary president Ed McCauley said in a statement that the arrival of counterprotesters on Thursday derailed the encampment.
“The situation very quickly devolved into shoving, projectiles being thrown at officers and – ultimately – flashbangs and arrests,” he said.
Dr. McCauley said the university respects and values protests within the confines of the school’s safe operation.
Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, at a press conference on Friday, said five people were arrested for trespassing on Thursday, three of whom were issued tickets. All five were released from police custody. He said there were no injuries reported among his staff or protesters.
In response to what he called increased resistance, officers late on Thursday deployed tear gas and flashbangs with irritant to disperse the remaining protesters, which Chief Neufeld estimated to be about 20 people. He said some bottles were thrown at police.
“So, if you’re standing right in front of me, you’re grabbing my shield and you don’t want to move back, I can deploy munitions that will move you back,” he said. “The alternative is to hit people with batons and stuff like that, which does cause injuries.”
He said it is “hogwash” for critics to say officers escalated the situation.
The chief claimed there was “significant influence” from an outside group on the student occupation. He said they were able to de-escalate the situation before it grew worse but are prepared to respond should the university ask for their assistance again.
Annette Lengyel said as students were deciding whether to leave, police advanced in riot gear, “smashing violently” into protesters and injuring her hand. Ms. Lengyel said she saw others pushed to the ground and against metal posts.
“It was shocking because I lived most of my life in the city,” she said in an interview. “What possessed university administration to unleash that kind of violence and brutality against their students?”
With a report from The Canadian Press
Alanna Smith