Pro-Palestinian protesters say Western encampment is 'indefinite'

Organizers of a pro-Palestinian protest at Western University in London, Ont., said they now plan to stay indefinitely a shift from their original stated plan to stay for 12 hours when they set up camp on campus earlier this week.

A message postedon a newInstagram account called Western Divestment Coalition describes the grouping of tents outside University Community Centre as an "indefinite encampment."

About 30 tents were in place on Friday as a few dozen students preparedfor what they said was an overnight stay. There were deliveries of food being brought in.

Abdul, a student who would not give his last name for fear of repercussions, said he expected the encampment would remain in place until students' demands are met. Those demands include a request to meet with university administrators willing to share information about Western University's investments in companies with ties to Israel.

While Abdul is not part of the group who created the new Instagram page, he said himselfand other supporters are committed to keeping the encampment in place.

"As you can see there is more tents, more people who have showed up," he said.

"It's a means of applying pressure and amplifying our voices and getting the attention of the administration."

Questions from CBC News to a university spokesperson were not replied to on Friday. The university has said in past statements that tents are not permitted on campus.

This week's protest at Western campus startedWednesday afternoon, when dozens of people set up tents and banners saying they were there because the university had not listenedto their demands that it divest fromcompanies with business interests in Israel.

At the time, they said they would remain for 12 hours, repeating a 12-hour protest that had taken place at Western one week earlier.

On Friday afternoon it appeared the protesters had no immediate plans to leave.

When the protesters were not gone after 24 hours, Western issued a news release calling their actions"disappointing."

"The safety and security of our campus community is our top priority and will be our focus today as we ensure regular university activities can proceed without interruption," theschool said in a statement."We will continue efforts to communicate with the Western student leaders at the encampmentand to set clear expectations for all individuals involved.

"At the same time, we are working closely with London Police Service to seek advice and support as needed."

Similar protests are going on at universities across Canada and the United States. In some cases, the encampments have led to clashes with police.

Late Thursday police used flashbang grenades andfull tactical gear to clear a similar pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Calgary.

When asked about what happened in Calgary,Abdul said students at the Western protest are taking precautions to ensure it'speaceful and safe.

"We're taking steps to make sure we're not disturbing university operations so I don't think it should be an issue," he said.

The demonstrationat Western and elsewhereare a direct response to themounting deaths in Gaza since the conflict between Israel and Hamasintensified on Oct. 7, 2023.

A total of 253 hostages were seized in aHamas-ledattack on southernIsraelon Oct. 7 in which about 1,200Israelis were also killed, according toIsraeli counts.Israel's offensive has killed 34,844 Palestinians over the last seven months,health officials in Gazasaid.

Many protesters have refused to identify themselves, saying they fearsimilar repercussions from the school or the broader community.

The student movement began at Columbia University in New York City on April 17 before protesters wereforcefully clearedby police at the request of administrators. In Canada, encampments have alsosprung up inMontreal'sMcGill University, theUniversity of Toronto, theUniversity of British Columbia,McMaster Universityin Hamilton and theUniversity of Windsor, Ont., among others.