BC universities start removal of pro-Palestinian encampments

Two Vancouver Island universities in British Columbia (BC) are taking steps to remove pro-Palestinian encampments from their campuses this week, writes Claire Palmer for CBC News.

The University of Victoria began removal proceedings on Sunday 21 July, giving protesters a deadline of 8am on Monday morning. On Monday, a support rally was held before the encampment began to quietly pack up. Audrey Yap, a professor at the University of Victoria and a supporter of the student protest, said it was disappointing to see how the university has responded. She says the school could have worked with students to develop an actionable plan that both parties could agree to.

It comes a week after Vancouver Island University (VIU) issued a deadline for protesters to leave its Nanaimo campus by 8am on Monday 15 July. However, despite VIU taking legal action, the Nanaimo encampment remains. Last week, the university sought injunctive relief to remove it and issued legal documents to students camped there, following similar action by the University of Toronto and the Ontario courts.
Full report on the CBC News site