A Ontario judge has ordered the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Toronto to vacate the area by Wednesday at 6 p.m., granting the university the injunction they sought.
“The court orders that the respondents and any and all persons of this order having knowledge of this Order, no later than 6 p.m. on July 3 shall remove all structures, tents, encampments and items of personal property placed or created or imposed by them at Front Campus and King’s College Circle,” reads the decision.
The decision also allows Toronto police or OPP to have authorization to arrest or remove any person who they believe to be contravening the order.
The university turned to the courts late last month after protesters ignored its deadline to dismantle the encampment.
The encampment was set up on May 2 and participants said they wouldn’t leave until the school agrees to disclose investments in companies profiting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza and cut ties with Israeli academic institutions.
The school is asking the court to authorize police action to remove protesters who refuse to leave, arguing the encampment is causing irreparable harm to the institution.
It is also seeking to prevent protesters from blocking access to university property or setting up fences, tents or other structures on campus.
In their court filings, the protesters say the school’s claims of irreparable harm are “grounded in troubling mischaracterizations” of the encampment as violent and antisemitic.
While the university has included examples of antisemitic incidents in its filings, the students say the evidence regarding these incidents is hearsay and cannot be put to the test, nor has the school proven any connection to the encampment or its participants.
They also argue that clearing the encampment would violate their protected rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.