In Florida and Calgary, anti-Israel students are taught a valuable lesson
Encampment protesters must understand that actions have consequences
Later that day, when students started setting up tents on campus in violation of that instruction, police were called and cleared the encampment.
The right to free speech and peaceful protest are fundamental. But upholding the rule of law is no less important.
“As outlined in our campus statement on free expression, that right is subject to limitations imposed by law as well as policies and procedures related to the university’s functioning,” said U of C president Ed McCauley, in an email sent to students and staff on Friday.
At the end of April, Eric Bercier, the associate vice-president of student affairs at the University of Ottawa, warned students of the dangers of setting up camps and told them bluntly that, “Encampments and occupations will not be tolerated.”
Days later, protesters set up tents and began a sit-in that is still ongoing. Signs at the encampment on the lawn at Tabaret Hall declare it a “Liberated Zone.”
Students at uOttawa learned from their university that breaking the law doesn’t have consequences and that trespassing is permissible if they believe their cause is just.
