An Ontario court is expected to deliver a decision on whether to grant an injunction to the University of Toronto to clear a Pro-Palestinian encampment on school property.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice heard arguments from both sides earlier this month about the encampment in an area known as King’s College Circle.
It’s expected to release its decision Tuesday afternoon.
Protesters set up tents at the site of U of T’s downtown campus on May 2. Organizers of the encampment have called on the university to cut its ties with Israel, divest from companies profiting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza and end partnerships with the country’s academic institutions deemed complicit in the war.
The encampment is part of a massive wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at post-secondary institutions in Canada and the United States.
School administrators held meetings with protesters to bring an end to the encampment through dialogue, but later filed for an injunction to allow police to clear the encampment.
Lawyers for the university argued at the injunction hearing that the protest breaches school policies, infringes on others’ free speech rights and has made members of the community feel unsafe or unwelcome.
The school asked the court to authorize police action to remove protesters who refuse to leave, arguing the encampment is causing irreparable harm to the institution.
It has also sought 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 said the school’s claims of irreparable harm are “grounded in troubling mischaracterizations” of the encampment as violent and antisemitic.
They also argued that clearing the encampment would violate their protected rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.