Recently, the University of Waterloo administration, in a now dropped case, sued the pro-Palestine student encampment on their campus for $1.5 million. The Ontario Superior Court also ruled in favor of the University of Toronto administration to remove the pro-Palestine student encampment camped at King’s Court on the St. George campus. We stand in solidarity with the pro-Palestinine student encampments at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. Following these court cases, the Memorial University of Newfoundland proceeded to forcefully and abruptly remove its students from their encampment with the use of police force. This event led to the arrest and charge of three students by their own university. 

These encampments represent critical expressions of free speech and advocacy for human rights, and we believe the court's decisions undermine these fundamental principles.

The pro-Palestine encampments have provided a vital platform for raising awareness about the ongoing genocide in Gaza and advocating for the total liberation of the Palestinain people. We are deeply concerned that the court rulings against these encampments infringe on students’ rights and student union autonomy. These decisions have unfortunately set a precedent allowing for other university and college administrations to trample on students’ rights and freedom of speech. 

We call upon higher education administrations and judicial authorities to reconsider their approach to handling student activism. Rather than resorting to punitive measures, we urge them to engage with student groups, facilitate dialogue, and provide spaces where important issues can be discussed openly and safely. Universities and Colleges should be places where diverse perspectives are welcomed and where activism and advocacy are seen as integral parts of the educational experience. Universities and Colleges should not be a place where students are arrested, charged, and their statuses put at risk for exercising their rights.

To the students who have been forced and pressured to end their encampments, we thank you for your endless dedication to fighting for justice. You have given students a space to organize and taught each other what community care actually looks like. Your work is not in vain as it has inspired others to continue this fight. To those who continue to sustain their encampments, we believe that all hope is not lost. The fight must continue and the Federation stands strongly beside you.

We continue to call upon the university and college administrators across Turtle Island to disclose their investments, and divest from individuals, corporations and institutions directly involved in the genocide of the Palestinian people. We demand that the Federal and Provincial governments must affirm and protect student autonomy and students' rights to protest across this country. We encourage all members of our communities to support these efforts by participating in peaceful protests, educating themselves about the issues, and advocating for policies that promote justice and equality. 

The students united will never be defeated.

In solidarity,

The Canadian Federation of Students.

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