Carleton University has put up metal fencing completely blocking access to the campus’ academic quad, as protesters at the University of Ottawa enter their third day of pro-Palestine sit-ins.
The fencing was put up on Monday, the same day the uOttawa encampment began.
The barricades are a “chilling image” amid the encampment action, said Meg Lonergan, a Carleton instructor in the department of law and legal studies.
“I’m disappointed, and I wish I was more surprised than I am,” Lonergan said.
In an emailed statement, the university told the Charlatan that the barriers were erected for safety purposes ahead of planned construction projects.
Asked whether Carleton would tolerate a sit-in similar to the one at uOttawa, Carleton responded that “our university policies prohibit unauthorized access and use, disruption and damage to university property.
“We want to take this opportunity to emphasize that we respect the right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.”
The university added the fencing was “communicated to the campus community” and that it does not issue news releases about construction projects — even though a news release was posted when the quad closed last year.
“I’m concerned that this is an escalation of a trend of non and miscommunication by the university,” Lonergan said. “The quad is a public space for all members of the community to gather and engage in discussion.”
Protesters at the uOttawa encampment are calling on uOttawa to divest from companies with business interests in Israel.
The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) issued a similar divestment call to Carleton’s administration on April 8, following a 20-1 CUSA vote on the matter.
Despite multiple inquiries from the Charlatan, Carleton did not confirm or deny whether it is currently invested in any of the nine companies named in CUSA’s motion.
About 200 students showed up to the first day of the uOttawa protest outside Tabaret Hall, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
Éric Bercier, uOttawa’s associate-vice president of student affairs, wrote in a statement on the university’s website on Sunday that “encampments and occupations will not be tolerated.”
“We have forcefully and repeatedly affirmed that no incitement to violence or incidents of harassment or hate, including Islamophobia and Antisemitism, will be tolerated on our campuses,” Bercier’s statement read.
Students who use university facilities without authorization face “serious consequences,” Bercier’s statement added.
Yesterday, the uOttawa Students’ Union issued a response to Bercier’s statement.
“We will not accept any restrictions placed on our ability to speak about matters of public interest or to debate or express ourselves on campus,” the response read.
“We demand that uOttawa revisit the blanket nature of the prohibition imposed and that it aligns itself with its obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
Many universities across Canada and the United States are pre-emptively trying to stop encampments from forming on their property, said Nir Hagigi, president of Independent Jewish Voices Carleton.
“These encampments are the one power that students have,” Hagigi told the Charlatan.
The University of Toronto also put up fencing on its downtown campus and issued a warning that encampments on its property will not be tolerated.
McGill University has requested police assistance address a pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus.
Featured image by Maia Tustonic.
