Pro-Palestinian protest at U of M starts on peaceful note

Protesters promised a peaceful demonstration as Winnipeg police kept an eye on an encampment set up at the University of Manitoba campus Tuesday to “highlight the Palestinian struggle.”

The student protest — which organizers have said will be at least three days long and could be extended — joins a wave of similar demonstrations on Canadian and American campuses in solidarity with Palestinian people during the Hamas war with Israel in Gaza.

Throughout the morning, a handful of security officers stood watch as a few dozen protesters wearing keffiyehs (checkered scarves that symbolize solidarity with Palestinians) drove tent poles into the ground and unloaded supplies.

By early evening, nearly 100 people had gathered in the quad at the Fort Garry campus, which had been cordoned off by a large circle of metal fencing. Ten tents had been set up.

“Our people are completely peaceful,” said a man who identified as Hussein, a spokesperson for Students for Justice in Palestine, who organized the event. “All aggression has always been from the opposite side.”

Parked at the back of the bus loop on the campus were two marked, and four unmarked, police cruisers.

Security guards monitored the two entrances to the encampment and checked identification to ensure only students entered the protest, Hussein said.

As protesters hung a Palestine flag from a tree in the early evening, a man on a microphone rallied the group. Some protesters had gathered moments earlier to talk strategy should police or security move in to dismantle the camp.

Earlier in the day, organizers told reporters there was a limit to the number and type of questions they would be willing to answer. They said they would not provide their full names, citing security concerns.

“We, for decades, have had our beliefs thrown aside, we’ve been dehumanized and oppressed on campus,” said one, who identified himself as Kareem.

Another, named Belkis, said the intention is to conduct the demonstration peacefully.

“The violence has been instigated by institutions who have decided to call police,” she said, alleging any violence at other campuses has been sparked by such measures.

Zahra said Palestinian students at the university have increasingly become targets of racism, harassment and prejudice since October, when Hamas — a terrorist group governing the Gaza Strip — launched attacks, primarily against civilians, in Israeli communities just over the border.

Officials from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza estimate more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The United Nations is warning the region is at risk of famine.

Zahra called on the university to “swiftly (implement) safety protocols and (provide) support on campus for all Palestinian students and their allies.”

The protesters also demanded the university boycott Israeli institutions, end student-exchange programs with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and “divest permanently from any companies or institutions complicit in genocide, oppression and discrimination,” she said.

The rally was in stark contrast to similar pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal that have sparked safety concerns. Hundreds of supporters turn up at those encampments daily and the premiers of both provinces have called for them to be dismantled.

Brandy Usick, executive director of student engagement, said U of M administrators met with protest organizers last week to establish expectations and guidelines to maintain a safe demonstration.

The parties remained in contact as the encampment was erected, Usick said.

“The goal is to keep the communication lines open, but really wanting to respect them having the right to protest and the freedom of expression to share their perspectives,” she said.

The university is aware of the demonstrators’ lists of demands and administrators intend to offer to meet and review them, Usick said, calling the move an “important first step.”

Usick noted protesters are expected to comply with the laws of peaceful protest by not using language that may incite violence or be consistent with hate speech.

The group plans to sing, talk and hold seminars featuring university faculty versed in Indigenous and colonial histories, Zahra said, adding — at this point — protesters don’t expect to sleep in the encampment overnight.

Instead, the tents will be occupied from from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day until at least Thursday.

“There is a likelihood for it to be extended. I can’t give a comment on that right now,” Zahra said.

The university is hopeful the protest will end after three days, as originally planned, Usick said.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Business Weekly

Monday mornings

The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week.

Sign up for Business Weekly

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“We will have to cross that bridge if it gets to that. They’ve identified the length of their encampment, and we will see what they expect to do after that.”

About 2,200 people have been arrested on college campuses during clashes at pro-Palestine encampments across the U.S.

“It’s important for us to ensure we are aware of what’s happening across Canada and also the U.S. as well,” Usick said. “We have to ensure we are responding in a way that mirrors our principles of protecting freedom of expression, but at the same time balancing that with the assurance that we have a safe campus community for all.”

—with files from Nicole Buffie and The Canadian Press

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press' city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.

   Read full biography

Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.