Students Walk Out at University of Victoria Demanding Divestment from Palestinian Genocide

A coalition of students rallied around 360 Palestine supporters at the University of Victoria to demand its unequivocal condemnation of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza and divestment from corporations profiting from it.

This time the organisers called upon the UVic Foundation to divest from Dassault Systèmes, Siemens, Scotiabank, Cisco, the Royal Bank of Canada, and the Bank of Montreal, all of which somehow support or profit from the current crisis. They also denounced the culture of intimidation and outright repression currently prevailing on campus, targeted at whoever takes a stance against Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

Speaking of intimidation, a Zionist counterprotest was expected, which drew in contrast seventeen people in total, including rabbi Lynn Greenhough of the Kolot Mayim Reform Temple, a frequent instigator of such actions. The Victoria Police Department was also rumoured to be sending troops, but none actually showed up.

Speakers today hammered that anti-Zionism isn’t antisemitism, of course the main point of contention with the counterdemonstrators. It was stressed that Zionists were primarily Christian Dominionists supporting their Jewish fellows under the twisted eschatological delusion that having God’s chosen people reclaim the entirety of the promised land will somehow bring about the Second Coming of Christ. Also, one student represented the Tzedek Collective, a Jewish community that has been organising rallies in support of the Palestinian people across town since October, their mere presence more persuasive than any argument could be.

That of course wouldn’t silence the Zionists, one regular airhead in particular jumping behind the speakers until screened by wardens and banner holders, naggingly shouting “Liars! Terrorists!” to the point even her comrades looked embarrassed by her petulant behaviour. She wasn’t successful at interrupting speeches, however, and eventually walked away.

There were lots of close encounters between factions throughout the event, to the point that wardens would almost give up trying to keep them separate. I have to commend them for trying, however, as they may have been all that prevented an orderly rally from turning into complete chaos by agitators who did not deserve nearly as much attention as they got.

More than half in attendance would then march all around the campus, and by that I mean walking the entire Ring Road encompassing it. Not only was it a purposefully slow march meant to disrupt traffic, the organisers would even hold certain intersections for several minutes at a time, forming huge lineups including construction trucks. Uvic’s security quickly mobilised, but could do nothing except maintain a semblance of order.

Forming a perimeter at these intersections, speakers would reflect at recent world events which have left a deep impression on the protesters, such as the flour massacre, which saw over a hundred starving Gazans sniped by the IDF while attempting to reach a rare shipment of food aid, or the self-immolation of US soldier Aaron Bushnell to denounce the genocide of Palestinians, the graphic footage of which horrified millions worldwide.

The longest halt was held at University Drive, which lasted almost twenty minutes, while the crowd chanted “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” under the noses of campus security services and frustrated drivers. Even then, no calls for dispersal were made.

Meanwhile, a couple Zionists which have tailed the procession the whole time attracted enough opposition that eventually security got involved in a vain attempt to separate the antagonists. I cannot overemphasise the fact that engaging with these counterdemonstrators is counterproductive, as it gives them the attention they crave; it’s best to have them talk either to your hand or your camera.

There was only one close call throughout the event, and it didn’t come from a Zionist. The leading truck driver grew exasperated with the road blocks, but what he minded even more than the wait was anyone recording his racist tirades at the crowd. Eventually he got off his truck and rushed toward us in an aggressive manner, no doubt intent on knocking off a few cameras, but he was stopped by wardens and protesters alike, then ordered back into his truck by a security guard.

I got chewed by the legal observer afterwards for starting an incident, although I beg to differ; there were people recording before I arrived, while the footage shows him pointing his finger at multiple individuals. I nevertheless had to concede that alienating the driver of a four-tonne vehicle is inherently perilous—begrudgingly. UPDATE 2024/03/01: The truck driver contacted me afterwards and admitted he wanted to break my camera—and mine alone. Mea culpa.

The march concluded at the Quad, where it started. Those who stayed until the end were invited to attend the screening of Gaza Fights for Freedom, a documentary of the Great March of Return protests which were brutally suppressed by the IDF in March 2018. Everybody walked away safely to the best of my knowledge. Until next time!