5 people arrested following pro-Palestinian protest at University of Calgary
Police say no civilians or officers were injured, but protesters disagree
Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld says people had "ample opportunity" to leave a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Calgary before officers used force to remove remaining demonstrators Thursday night.
"This isn't something we enjoy doing, but it is something that is very necessary when individuals refuse to comply with lawful direction," said Neufeld during a news conference Friday afternoon. "I'm proud of the way that our officers handled themselves throughout the situation … and ultimately escalating in tactics only in response to an increase in resistance."
But many of the protesters did not agree. They were disappointed to see police use force just hours after the encampment was set up.
Euan Thomson was among them.
"It was entirely peaceful the entire time until the police showed up," he said. "A couple of us got singled out, isolated and punched and beaten on the ground for a while."
Five people were arrested under the Trespass to Premises Act, three of whom were charged. All have since been released, including Thomson who was given a $600 trespassing ticket. It is not known if others arrested were students or members of the public.
Neufeld added that further investigations will continue and additional charges are possible, but more serious charges related to Thursday night's events are unlikely.
Campus protests across North America
This is just one of many protests and encampments that have been popping up at university campuses across North America.
The protests come after the Hamas attack on Israel last fall led to the capture of more than 250 hostages and killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's retaliatory bombing campaign and ground offensive have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians — many of them civilians, including children.
Neufeld says the Calgary Police Service (CPS) has had conversations with post-secondary institutions in preparation for the encampments appearing in Calgary. He says Calgary police will continue to enforce the law surrounding trespassing.
Protest organizer Julia Lee said there was no time to sit back and think about the consequences "because the people of Palestine were never afforded that right."
In a statement sent via email on Friday, the president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary, Ed McCauley, said all members of the university's community "have the right to free speech and the right to protest."
McCauley's statement also said that "for safety and operational reasons, temporary structures as part of protests and overnight protests are not permitted," and protests can't occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
He says individuals were provided a written summary of the university's policies and procedures, and the individuals who refused to take down their structures were issued a trespass notice.
The statement said the police service's "decision to enforce a trespass order is based on assessment of the risk to public safety as determined through things such as protester actions, communications [including social media monitoring] and analysis."
In addition, McCauley's statement to the U of C community said counter-protesters also appeared Thursday night — a notion that some protesters reject.
"Unfortunately, counter-protesters showed up — also putting themselves in violation of our policies and in [a] trespass situation — and the situation very quickly devolved into shoving, projectiles being thrown at officers, and ultimately flash-bangs and arrests," it reads.
"It is certainly possible counter-protesters only became aware of the encampment because of reporting on the large police presence."
The students' union released a statement disputing claims that counter-protesters were present when CPS escalated its tactics.
"We vehemently dispute the accuracy of the statement released by the office of the president that the protest only 'devolved' with the arrival of counter-protesters."
A media relations officer for the Calgary police told CBC News that a small group of counter-protesters arrived near the end of the protest.
Neufeld says that, in terms of the police response, "the counter-protest didn't play any part at all."
The police chief says it was clear the original protest was non-compliant to begin with, as organizers had issued demands to the university and began to set up encampments outside of the MacEwan Student Centre.
Protest invokes heavy police response
Like other recent university protests, those involved say students are demonstrating to demand officials disclose and sever any ties the school has with Israel.
At the University of Calgary, there are also calls to adopt a definition of anti-Palestinian racism on campus, and provide support for Palestinian students' mental wellness and academic success.
The police arrived on campus early Thursday evening after being called by campus security.
According to both police and the university, protesters were warned that occupants of the encampment were trespassing. An officer assured one of the protesters that no one would be arrested if they left.
The majority of those occupying the encampment began packing up their belongings and preparing to leave following a police warning at approximately 10 p.m. MT. But a smaller group refused to leave, with some singing "we shall not be moved."
After giving a five-minute warning about an hour later, police used their shields and bicycles to push the remaining protesters out of the encampment area.
Some still attempted to resist the police action. Officers responded by throwing flash-bangs, which produced loud noises and smoke. Ten minutes after beginning their efforts, police had completely emptied the area.
Police say there were no injuries to civilians or officers, which protesters say is not true. Thomson plans to file a complaint against police.
Neufeld told reporters that the last time Calgary police had to use what he called "non-lethal munitions" was in the fall, during a violent clash in the community of Falconridge, where 11 people were charged.
Neufeld says many people at the encampment were concerned about geopolitical events and the police understand that.
"There is no question that they did not want to charge a bunch of people who didn't need to be charged, and they didn't do that," said Neufeld.
"People were throwing projectiles at the police.… Enough was enough. We'd been there long enough."
The protesters are allowed to return to campus but are not allowed to bring any encampments, barricades or obstructions, according to both police and the university.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, speaking at an unrelated news conference in Calgary, says she's pleased the University of Calgary moved to have police dismantle the on-campus encampment.
"I'm glad that the University of Calgary made the decision that they did," Smith said.
"In this case, it's private property. And the university made it very clear that you can't trespass and that you can't camp. I think people should follow the law. If you have an opportunity to do peaceful protest, follow the parameters, I guess, is the lesson on this."
She also said her government is on hand to help if asked, but will otherwise leave decisions of what to do with the protest encampments up to the universities. At the Friday press conference, she was asked if this compares to the convoy border blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 — which led to arrests she has spoken about in the past, even going as far as contacting Alberta's justice minister over charges faced by a Calgary street preacher.
"There are people who are going through a criminal process because of the Coutts blockade. We have laws in the province saying you cannot block critical infrastructure," she said.
Students are 'traumatized'
Some students are feeling frustrated about the events of Thursday night.
The U of C Students' Union president, Ermia Rezaei-Afsah, believes the situation represents a failure on the part of the university's executive leadership team.
"We think that there should have been more room for dialogue. We think that the university should have given a chance to students to speak, and to actually engage with them," he said Friday, speaking on behalf of the students' union.
"In all the other universities around Canada, we have not seen anything like this.… Our students have a Charter right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. And that was, in my eyes, denied yesterday."
Rezaei-Afsah says he's hearing that students are feeling scared after Thursday's events, calling the police response "egregious."
"They're traumatized."
The students' union says it "unequivocally condemns the actions taken against students," according to their statement released Friday afternoon.
The statement called Thursday's events an "extreme response" from police that was requested by president McCauley and the university administration, and that it was "an invitation for violence against students."
"It is our belief that without this, the protest would have remained peaceful."
According to the statement, student protesters sought to create a dialogue with university administration but were "rebuffed."
It's not the first time the U of C campus has seen protests, or even encampments.
Graham Sucha, a University of Calgary senator, said to celebrate the school's 50th Anniversary in 2016 the university released a book called The Age of Audacity to commemorate student protests.
He also stumbled across a photo of an encampment set up on school grounds in 1999.
The students' union says Thursday's events will have students asking "how they are supposed to feel safe exercising their rights on campus if the first response is to call the police."
Demonstrators returned to campus on Friday to hold a pro-Palestinian rally.
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With files from Erin Collins, James Young, Jim Brown and The Canadian Press