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Student protesters at the University of Ottawa have cleared their encampment, after more than two months of protesting the war in Gaza.

In an early-morning statement issued Wednesday, the groups Labour for Palestine Ottawa and Occupy Tabaret said the students have “elected to vacate the encampment on Tabaret Lawn.”

“We reached an impasse in negotiations as the direct result of the university claiming they had zero powers to do anything about the funds they manage and in fact do have full control over,” Sumayya Kheireddine, student leader of Occupy Tabaret, said in a statement.

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“At best, this university and President are out of touch with reality. At worst, they are simply cruel, and only guided by greed and immune to the suffering of others.”

By around 10 a.m. Wednesday,  most of the encampment had been cleared. All that remained were a few empty tents, tarps, blankets, wires and debris. Protest signs encircled the stairway to Tabaret Hall, saying “the children of Gaza will haunt you,” among others.

“Divest” was spray-painted in blood red across the pillars of Tabaret Hall, a Palestinian flag hanging from the building.

Police and campus security teams were dismantling what remained, and placing barricades, blocking the public’s access to the lawn.

“Police Liaison Teams are working with the University of Ottawa to assist in the relocating of the persons experiencing homelessness from the encampment site.  They are coordinating with the Salvation Army Outreach team and area shelters to ensure that they have a space for them to be housed,” said Const. Cailey Walker of the Ottawa Police Service.

The Salvation Army’s outreach and housing services support team were assisting the unhoused people who had joined the students’ protest in recent days.

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On social media, the student group INSAF said the encampment was “only one of many tactics” used to achieve their demands that the university divest from its financial involvement with Israel.

“From the onset of negotiations with university administration, we came to the table with an open mind, suggesting various ways for them to meet our demands, from simple policy changes to mere acknowledgment of anti-Palestinian racism,” the social media post reads. “The university responded by stalling, speaking to us in bureaucratic jargon, and dismissing our very reasonable demands altogether.”

In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, university president Jacques Frémont said demonstrators left the night before, and left the site in “a deplorable state,” with the university’s team beginning cleanup efforts.

“We condemn the acts of vandalism committed by the demonstrators before leaving the site, which add to the already considerable damage around Tabaret since the encampment was set up and continue to generate huge costs for the University,” Frémont said. “The Ottawa Police Service is onsite to assess the situation, including the damage.”

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The students’ demands included the full disclosure of all direct and indirect investments made by the university and divestment from corporations and institutions associated with Israel and its army.

Frémont said the university has “managed the risks around the unauthorized encampment on University property while maintaining an open dialogue with student organizers in good faith to find peaceful ways to end it,” and had put forward “a number of serious proposals to address their concerns and support those displaced by the war,” but “despite the many constructive conversations we had, the organizers showed no willingness to make concessions. Instead, they responded by escalating their tactics, including more graffiti and physical aggression directed toward our staff,” Frémont said.

“We have stated many times that the values of academic freedom and freedom of expression are foundational to our mission, and we will continue to uphold them. However, the illegal occupation of spaces is not freedom of expression, as the Superior Court of Ontario has recently ruled. Neither is setting up fences around the encampment, nor restricting access to only those who agree with organizers. These are simply violations of others’ right to use those spaces.” 

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Frémont added the university “fully acknowledges the pain caused by the violence unfolding in the Middle East since October of last year,” and said support services are available.

“It is important that we prepare for the new academic year in a spirit of respect and openness, to ensure that every member of our community feels safe and secure, so that they can thrive.”

Student protesters had previously said they were concerned the university would bring in the Ottawa Police Services to dismantle the camp.

Meanwhile, in Montreal, police and university officials dismantled McGill University’s encampment. University officials said mid-morning that the camp’s removal is “proceeding peacefully.”

Additionally, last week, pro-Palestinian protesters ended their encampment at the University of Toronto ahead after an Ontario judge ordered the group to vacate the property. Similar protests have also ended at the University of British Columbia and Western University.

As reported by the Associated Press, Israel’s military urged all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south on Wednesday, with troops pressing ahead with a fresh offensive across the north, south, and central Gaza. It comes as U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators met with Israeli officials in Doha, in attempts to reach a cease-fire deal with Gaza’s Hamas militants.

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The United Nations says as many as 2.3 million Gazans are living in tent camps in central and southern Gaza, and more than 200,000 people remain in the northern part of the besieged enclave.

Israel has killed more than 38,00 people and wounded more than 88,00, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

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With files from Postmedia and the Associated Press.

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