Protesters have set up an encampment at Western University again today, demanding that the university divest from any company that supports Israel. The demonstration is scheduled to end at midnight, when the protesters will dismantle the encampment.
“We have a full program of events today,” says one of the leaders of the protest, who identified herself as a Western University undergraduate student. “We have some student speakers, we have poetry, singing. We have faculty… Independent Jewish Voices will be joining us, so this is really all the groups of London coming together to get our voices heard.”
This is the second encampment that the group has set up, a week after the first one. It began at noon, with a small crowd–mostly people sitting at picnic tables or lounging in the grass–but the student leader says she expects more people to arrive as the day goes on.
Some of the companies included in the divestment demands include Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.
The protesters say they are confident that their demands will be met, with enough persistence.
“People are coming out. Last week we had 100 people, and we’re expecting similar, if not more, today.”
Similar campus protests have been going on all over North America as the death toll in the Israel-Gaza conflict continues to rise. The Columbia University encampment in New York has been widely covered by the media, following escalations in violence and antisemitism, leading many Jewish students to feel wary of these protests.
“We’re, as a community, feeling a little bit shaken by what we’re seeing with the encampments, especially in the US, where they’ve turned quite hateful and violent,” says Katie Goldig, the director of Hillel Western–an on-campus organization for Jewish students.
Goldig says she’s grateful for the Western Special Constable Services, and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team for ensuring that these protests have been safe, non-violent and relatively peaceful.
“I fully support everyone’s right to protest for the causes they believe in. I think the only thing I’m really concerned about is that we’re seeing such an outbreak of violence and hatred, specifically in the US and at some universities here in Canada. That is truly where my attention is: making sure Western University and its affiliates are completely safe, and that the Jewish students feel safe.”
In a statement during last week’s protest, Western Vice-Provost (Students) John Doerksen said that the Western group’s activity is proceeding peacefully but warned that “while dialogue and debate are welcome and encouraged – even on the most difficult topics – Western will not tolerate hate speech.”
